Eleanor Phillips and the Tales of the Untold
by Melissa Alburney
Summary: Eleanor Phillips wanted nothing more than to come out of the shadows of her older brothers and sisters. She hated being the youngest, and being nothing more than average. But what this average girl doesn\'t know, is that the key to her survival is locked
1. Chapter 1: My Wand Chose Me

~ PART1~

A Sorceress Beginning

Chapter 1: My Wand Chose Me

I awoke to the rapping of knuckles on my door. I hid under the covers as my father poked his head in.

"Come on Ellie, get up! We've already started breakfast." He said with enthusiasm.

"I'm not going." I said from beneath my covers. He came in the door and sat on my bed.

"Ellie, you've been looking forward to this day all year. Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked. I pulled the covers down just enough to expose my eyes, and nose.

"What if I'm a squib?" I asked seriously. He laughed heartily, a frown appearing on my face. I didn't find it very funny.

"Ellie, dear, you are not a squib." He said with a smile, tapping my nose.

"How can you be so sure?" I asked sitting up fully out of bed.

"Because you were born into a family full of great witches and wizards. I promise that you are not a squib." He said giving me a hug. "Who told you that you were a squib?"

"Mark." I said simply. He kissed me on the top of my head.

"You get ready and head on downstairs. Mum's got a wonderful breakfast feast put out on the table."

"Is there sausage and eggs with crème?" I asked with delight.

"Of course there is! What kind of breakfast would it be without sausage and eggs?"

"And crème." I declared. He smiled at me.

"Exactly! Now get dressed." He said and went out my door. I could hear him yell 'Markus Henry Phillips!' up the stairs. I smiled with glee, because that meant Mark was getting in trouble and then he wouldn't be able to do something fun for the day. And today was a special day indeed.

I hurried to my closet and picked out a nice pair of jeans and a pink tank top. To go over it was a charcoal grey blazer with a pair of pink converse. Dad said we should dress like muggles so that, if we decided to one day leave the magic world, we would at least know how to look like one. Blending in, he called it. I hurriedly went downstairs and found Paul and Angela all sitting at the table. Mum looked over from the stove and smiled.

"Good morning Ellie, I'll bring your breakfast round in a moment." She said happily.

"Mum, remember she doesn't want to be called Ellie anymore. She wants to be called Eleanor, so she can sound more mature." Angela said smugly. Paul rolled his eyes slightly.

"Angie, that's enough." Mum said sternly as she sat a plate down in front of me. Sausage and eggs, with toast and crème on the side, just the way I liked it. Dad came in with Mark tailing behind him. Mark gave me a terrible look that said he wanted to pummel me. But I knew he really wouldn't; only in his dreams.

"Good morning children!" Dad said when he sat down.

"Good morning Father." We all replied. It had been the greeting to say when Dad finally sat down at the table. That also meant that we could start eating. As we began our breakfast, two owls came flying in through the window. One was beige colored on his stomach and he had a brown head and brown wings. The other, was midnight black all over her body.

"Athena!" I exclaimed. She handed her letters to Mum and then perched on my shoulder. I handed her a piece of apple from the table. Baltimore handed Dad the newspaper and sat on the owl perch. Athena nibbled at the apple.

"Why does she do that?" Paul asked. I looked at him.

"Do what?" I pulled out a small rodent and handed it to her, which she gladly gobbled up.

"Just, sit on your shoulder naturally."

"Why? You jealous?" I asked.

"Not in the least bit. It's just strange that she opened up to you so quickly. She used to only let Dad even get near her."

"Maybe Ellie has the owl touch." Mum said picking up another letter. Mum saw the rodent in Athena's mouth. "Ellie! Not at the table!" Mum scolded. I petted Athena's head and then she went and sat next to Baltimore.

"Ah! Mr. and Mrs. Weasly will meet us at Gringotts at exactly eleven o'clock today."

"Will Ginny be there?" I asked.

"Of course dear, they can't very well leave her at home." Mum said.

"Can't Bill or Charlie watch her?" Angela asked.

"They both went back to work, Angela. Get with the program." Mark retorted.

"That's and odd sort of phrase Mark," Dad commented but Mark seemed not to have heard him.

"I think we should spilt up into groups when we meet up with the Weasley's." Dad said. "Paul, you'll go with Percy to get the things you'll need for this year. Mark, I want you to go with Fred and George. Take Angela with you as well."

"What?" Mark and Angela exclaimed at the same time.

"We can't have a girl in our group, we'll be doing guy things." Mark protested.

"I made it clear that today you were to get your school things and do nothing else." Dad said sternly. Mark became silent.

"Whatever." Angela muttered.

"Ellie, we'll take you around to get all of your things today." Mum said.

"Can I take Athena to school?" I asked, trying to keep my enthusiasm to a minimum. Mum looked at Dad who peered over his copy of The Daily Prophet, the local wizard newspaper.

"I guess if you're really careful-" Mum started.

"Yes!" I shouted with joy. We ate the rest of our breakfast with chitter chatter.

"Alright everyone, let's get a move on!" Dad called from the living room. We all came bounding down the stairs in our thick black cloaks and lined up. Mum grabbed the pot from on top of the mantel, making sure that we all looked nice.

"So, who wants to go first?" Mum asked. Angela stuck her hand in the pot before Mark could grab a handful of green soot. Angie stepped into the fire place and gained composure. It made me and Mark giggle a bit. In a loud clear voce, Angela yelled 'Diagon Alley!' and shot the soot from her hand. She became engulfed in green flames and then disappeared. I grabbed a handful before anyone else, running to the empty fireplace. Dad gave me a wink and I yelled 'Diagon Alley!' instantly after I had released the soot, I was engulfed in the same green flames. I felt myself being sucked into a hole that was sparkly green. Different holes were all around me, different exits. I saw Angela get off at one and I followed her.

When I got out, I found myself covered in the soot. It hadn't been a graceful landing, unlike Angela who had small specks of soot in her hair and on her face. She daintily brushed them off as we exited the shop known as Flourish and Blotts, a book store, and walked over to the wizard bank. We waited on the steps to Gringotts when the rest of our family came out. Mark suddenly started shouting.

"Hagrid!" he exclaimed, waving madly. Angela gave him a disgusted look.

"Don't call the gamekeeper over here!" she hissed, but Mark ignored her. The large man came over, a small scrawny boy tailing closely behind him.

"Hey Hagrid!" Mark greeted.

" 'Ello Mark! Pleasant to see you here." Hagrid greeted him. "Yer' gettin' taller as ever!" Hagrid explained. Compared to me he was not only triple my size in height, he was at least for widths of me. I suddenly spied a boy behind him. Hagrid saw me peering to get a look at him.

"Oh, where're me manners? This is young Harry here." Hagrid boomed. "He'll be startin' school with yer sister Mark."

"This is Eleanor." Mark said. He pushed me forward a bit.

" 'Ello Eleanor." Hagrid said, holding out his hand. I shook his massive hand, which could easily have squished me. "Come on out Harry." Harry came out from behind Hagrid. He was as tall as I was, with untidy black hair that looked like he never combed it. His piercing green eyes showed through his glasses, which looked like they had been broken several times.

"Harry, this is Eleanor, and her family." Hagrid said happily. Harry held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you." He said formally, holding out his hand. I shook it greatly.

"Hi!" I said smiling at him.

"Well, we'd best be off. Lots to buy." Hagrid chuckled.

"Bye now." Harry said to me.

"Bye!" I called after them as they waded through the crowd towards all of the shops.

"Ella! Ella dear!" Mrs. Weasly called come out of the alley towards us. "Ella dear, my you need to get out more!" she scolded my mother. My mother simply smiled.

"Well, it is a little tricky what with all the Muggle neighbors."

"Come on Henry, let's get inside. I'm sure Eleanor's very anxious to be getting new school supplies." Mr. Weasly said, winking at me. I smiled as Dad put his arm around me.

"Oh you know our Ellie, practically begging to leave yesterday." He chuckled. I spied Ginny coming up to me. Her flame red hair matched the rest of her families unique style.

"Come on Eleanor, let's get going!" Mum called as I raced Ginny up the Wizard Bank steps.

Inside Gringotts, there were all sorts of things going on. Wizards and witches depositing and withdrawing money, and the goblins were helping them along with that. Goblins were the main care givers for the bank, mostly because they were renowned for keeping things locked up tight; more specifically treasure.

We hopped into one of the tram cars, and Mum and Dad told them which vault to take us to.

"Vault six hundred and twenty four." The goblin said aloud. Mum and Dad collected enough gold to get what they needed, being careful not to flounce how much money was in our account.

You see, the Weasly's were a simple family. Their mum made their clothes and their house wasn't as large. But they were a kind and loving family, and were always willing to help anyone.

My parents had met the family years ago, during a time of dark days. But they never liked to talk about those times, but from what my siblings had told me, and what I'd read in books, it wasn't at all pleasant.

"Alright kids!" Mr. Weasly said, gathering our attention. "How about Paul and Percy, you have your lists you may go and get your supplies."

"And why don't you take Angela as well? Paul you can help her get what she needs." Dad said.

"Alright Dad." Paul said, giving Angela a look. We all knew she fancied Percy quite a bit.

"Mark, Fred, George, you three can go get your supplies." Dad said.

"But no funny stuff!" Mr. Weasly added, seeing a look on their faces.

"And you're to get only what you need." Dad said firmly. He turned to me smiling. "That just leaves you, me and Mum." My smile widened.

"And we'll take Ron and Ginny to get Ron's things. Meet back here in two hours?" Everyone nodded. "Alright, we'll see you all back here then." And everyone left.

"What would you like to get first?" Mum asked.

"My wand!" I exclaimed with excitement. My dad chuckled.

"I could have guessed." Mum said.

"Then it's off to Ollivander's!" Dad stated and led the way.

As we neared the wand makers store, I noticed a family of white haired blonde people walking tall and all in black cloaks. They had an eerie presence about them, unnatural you might say. They were exiting the wand shop and their dad gave my Dad a curt nod but nothing more. They had a boy with them, fair skinned and platinum blonde hair. He looked to be about my age.

When we got inside, there were shelves upon shelves of small boxes full of wands. All different and unique, my dad had said. I heard the rattle of a ladder come around and I saw a wiry haired man climb down from it. His grey and white hair wisped back as he strode towards us.

"Well, I knew I'd be getting you at some point, Mrs. Phillips. I've had all of the Phillips family come through here at one point or another." Mr. Ollivander said with a smile. "Now, let's see then…" he then muttered a few words, prowling around the boxes on the shelves. He pulled one out, swept off the box top and showed me the wand that lay inside.

"A ten inch ebony wand, with a unicorn tail core." He said. I looked at the lovely blackened wood with a reddish tint. I held it up and waved it but instantly it was snatched from my hand. He put it back and grabbed a few more boxes.

"Try this. A fourteen inch rosewood with dragon heartstring core." I took the lovely sanded wand and held it, but it too was snatched from me. He pulled out a last one, looked at it closely then handed it to me.

"Twelve inch holly, with, quite curiously, a phoenix feather core." I picked up the dark brown wand and instantly golden sparks emitted from the end of it. There was a small applause around the shop, from my parents and Mr. Ollivander himself. I looked at them.

"What did I do?" I asked.

"Your wand has chosen you." My dad said excitedly. "Now, it's yours." He said proudly. A big grin appeared on my face.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed. I looked at my wand, caressing it almost. But, I didn't know that this wand would be the key to my undoing.


	2. Chapter 2: Four Friends Formed

Chapter 2: Four Friends Formed

After gathering all of my other supplies, my robes, my books, my ingredients and such, we bid the Weasley's farewell and agreed to meet them the following week to depart for Hogwarts.

We anticipated the day to go to King's Cross Railroad Station. There we would board the magnificent train that would take us to Hogwarts. We were scurrying around trying to find all of our belongings. Mine was the easiest, since I'd had it packed for weeks in advance. I'd already read all my books, pressed my robes and uniforms, as well as had my new shoes shined like stars. I was ready.

"Come on Ellie! We need to get going!" Mum called from downstairs. I peaked my head out the door and could see her through the banister.

"Alright, I'm ready!" I called. Dad came down from the third level with the boys tailing behind him, their trunks all packed.

"Need help with that, Ellie?" Dad asked. I shook my head.

"Dad, I'm a big girl. I can do it myself." I explained. He looked a little hurt that I had rejected his help, but he quickly got over it when I couldn't make it down the stairs with my overly large trunk. After stuffing our car with all our belongings, we headed off.

The station was bustling with people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and packages. Some were traveling light, while others were much like us: going somewhere far away. I looked longingly at all the trains, anticipating the moment when I would step on mine and embark on the most amazing journey of my life.

"Don't dawdle Ellie, we don't want to be late." Dad said, pulling my arm.

"But I can't help it, I'm so excited to be here!" I exclaimed.

"Get's boring after a while." Mark commented. "The same train ride, the same food, the same-"

"Don't be such twit!" Paul said, flicking Mark on the head.

"What? I was just telling the truth."

"For once in your life, lie to her." Angela commented. We came to a stop at a brick wall, between Platform 9 and Platform 10.

"Well, I don't see the Weasley's. Perhaps they've carried on to the other side."

"Other side of what?" I asked.

"The brick wall." Paul explained. "That's where the train is." My mouth went wide.

"We have to go through a brick wall?" I clarified. Paul nodded. "Why?"

"So the Muggles just don't happen upon it." Mum explained. "Now, Paul, Mark, you first." The boys stepped back and then rammed straight on through the wall. My eyes went wide.

"Angela go ahead, we'll meet up with on the other side." Angela gracefully strode through the wall behind the boys. Mum and Dad took my hands as we walked calmly but briskly through the wall. It was the most sensation-less feeling I've ever experience. It was like walking through air. One moment you're facing the brick wall, the next you're on the other side surrounded by others trying to get onto the train.

"Come on, let's find you a seat." Mum said.

"I'll just be putting Athena and your luggage in the baggage cart." Dad called and headed off with my trolley. Mum and I jumped on board the gigantic train. It was a bright red with golden window panes. Steam billowed out of the engine, and the horn sounded and shook the ears of everyone in the area. Mum and me found an empty compartment.

"This one looks good." Mum said. She handed me my knapsack. "Now, I've got you a change of robes so when you get closer to Hogwarts, you'll be able to change. I've also left you your journal, a bottle of water, and some snacks. There's also a little money if you want some treats." She smiled down at me, stroking my hair. I could see she was beginning to cry.

"Mum, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm just going to miss you so much darling. You're my baby girl."

"I'm not a baby anymore, Mum." I said very matter-of-fact.

"I know, I know. You're all grown up now. But, just remember Eleanor, you are a very special girl. And when you get down, just remember, I have always loved you, and I will always love you. No matter what." She kissed my forehead when the last whistle blew. She stood up just as Dad found us.

"Come on Ella, we'd best be going." Dad said taking Mum's hand. But, Dad stopped and gave me a quick hug and a big kiss.

"You be good now, and no matter what you are not a squib." He teased. He gave me one last kiss before Mum pulled him from me.

"Come on Henry, there's not much time left." They left me, and just as they disembarked, the train began to move. There was soon a knock on my cabin door. A boy with black hair and bright green eyes hidden behind glasses opened the door.

"Sorry to bother you, but-" He looked at me and squinted. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"Oh yes! You're Harry-something!" I announced with glee. He smiled.

"And you're Eleanor, right?" he asked. I nodded brightly.

"Please sit down." I said eagerly. It was a lot better than sitting alone.

"Thanks." He said and sat on the bench across from me.

"Are you wicked excited?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yes, very."

"Which house do you want to be in?" I asked. He looked a little confused.

"House?" he asked.

"You know, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw?" He still looked confused. "Don't you know about Hogwarts?" I asked.

"Actually, I just found out that I'm a wizard." He said.

"Oh, are you Muggle born?" I asked.

"No, I'm not. At least, I don't think I am."

"Oh, so you're a halfy."

"A what?"

"Half Muggle, half wizard?" I explained.

"No, I think both my parents were wizards."

"Were?"

"They died when I was a baby." Something sparked in my mind.

"What's your last name?" I asked incredulously.

"Potter." My eyes went very wide.

"Harry Potter?" He nodded. "The Harry Potter?"

"I think so." He assumed.

"Mother of Merlin! You're the Harry Potter?" I burst. He looked a little terrified. I calmed down.

"Sorry, my Mum says I get over excited a little too easily." He chuckled.

"That's alright."

"So, what's it like?" I asked nosily.

"What's what like?"

"Being raised by Muggles."

"Terrible actually. My aunt and uncle raised me, and I have a cousin named Dudley."

"What kind of a name is that?" I asked. I realized that was a rude thing to say. "Oh, I'm sorry. That was unkind."

"No, its true. He's a horrible person. He liked to use me as a punching bag."

"I'm assuming he's a fairly large person."

"He's ignoramus! At least five times bigger than me." He explained. I giggled.

"You are pretty tiny." I stated.

"Well so are you." He countered in a teasing way.

"Yes, but I'm a girl." I pointed out.

"What's the difference?" he asked. I thought about it for a moment.

"You know, I don't know. People always tell me that boys are supposed to be bigger than girls."

"Why's that?"

"So the boy can protect the girl. Like in the story of Beauty and the Beast. The Beast is much bigger than Belle, and he protects her."

"You know Muggle fairytales?" he asked, surprised.

"My Dad used to read them too me. Belle was always my favorite; also because she's very smart. I hope Hogwarts will make me smarter." We both giggled. I noticed his hair was covering something.

"Can I see your scar?" I asked. He nodded, lifting up his bangs. The lightning bolt scar was the stuff of legends. He was The Boy Who Lived. Everyone knew his story.

"Do you remember it? What happened to you?" I asked, then realized I was being nosy again. "Sorry, that was nosy. You don't have to tell me."

"No, it's ok. I've never really remembered anything, but I have flashes of memory some times. Occasionally I'll remember something really random, like a flash of green light or a flying motorcycle."

"A flying motorcycle?" I asked incredulously.

"I know, it's ridiculous." Suddenly, the door was knocked on again. Ron popped his head in.

"Hi Ron!" I said excitedly. He looked shyly from me to Harry.

"Might I sit with you? All the other cars are full." I nodded and gestured to the benches. He sat next to Harry.

"Harry this is Ron Weasley. Ron this is Harry Potter." I

"Hi."

"Hi." They said to each other. Then Ron realized what I'd said.

"Harry Potter? The Harry Potter?" He asked.

"I'm assuming so." Harry said. "I guess this is going to be happening a lot." He pointed out.

"Don't worry about it, once people know who you are, they'll have no trouble remembering your name." I said smiling. We went on to enjoy lovely conversations.

After the snack trolley came and went we enjoyed a lot of delicious snacks, especially when Harry had pulled out a stack of gold galleons and offered to buy us the treats.

"These are delicious." Harry commented after trying one of everything. I giggled at the fact that this was all new to him.

"My favorite are the Cauldron Cakes and the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans." I commented.

"I love the Licorice Wands." Ron added. We all laughed as we watched Scappers (Ron's rat) climb into an empty box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and take a nap. Suddenly, the door to the car flew open. A girl with wild frizzy hair and slightly large front teeth came in.

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." We all shook our heads. She sighed and took a seat next to me. We were all stunned by her forwardness.

"Well, this is disheartening. The poor boy says he has a problem with keeping track of things. He's very forgetful you see, and so I thought that if I could help him find it perhaps I could put a charm on his frog to help him remember things."

"Put a spell on him? We haven't even gotten to school." I said.

"Exactly. Which means we still aren't under the same rules and regulations as other students who have practiced magic."

"So, you're cheating." Ron stated. The girl glared at him.

"No. I'm simply using every little whim to my advantage." I rolled my eyes. "Oh, how rude of me. I'm Hermione Granger. Who are all of you?" She looked at me first.

"Eleanor Phillips." I said and we shook hands. She turned to Ron, who was very busy eating. He swallowed a mouthful.

"Ron Weasley." He answered. She turned to Harry last.

"I'm Harry-"

"Potter!" She exclaimed, making us jump. "I've read all about you! You're The Boy Who Lived! Oh, I've got so many things to ask you!" Before she could ask anything, the whistle blew and we all looked around. In the fair distance you could make out a train platform.

"You'd all better change into robes, I expect we'll be arriving soon." She said matter-of-fact. Her robes were already on. "I hope I get into Ravenclaw, or Gryffindor. Both are very respectable houses. Hufflepuff is too, I guess, but I'd be very disappointed if I landed myself in Slytherin." She said.

"Eleanor, you never got to finish telling me about the houses." Harry pointed out.

"Oh yeah. Well, Gryffindor is-" Before I could continue, Hermione butted in.

"I've read all about the four houses, named after the four founders of Hogwarts. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Gryffindor is for the brave of heart. Ravenclaw is full of wisdom and smarts. Slytherin is for the cunning and quick. Hufflepuff will take the friendliest into it." She recited proudly, most likely from one of the books she'd read. What a know-it-all.

"Well, I'd best be off to change into my robes." I said loudly so she'd stop talking. I grabbed my knapsack and headed off to the loo.

I loved the look and feel of my new robes. I looked at the Hogwarts emblem, wondering which house I would be in. I worried that I wouldn't be in Gryffindor, like all my brothers and sisters. I guess Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad, but Angela always told me they were snotty because they thought they were the smartest. Paul told me he had a few friends from Hufflepuff and that they were loyal and true. Mark said that Slytherin was a mean place for all the bad people. He said there wasn't a witch or wizard who didn't go bad in Slytherin. The thought made me shutter.

I heard another whistle, telling us to head to our cars so that we could disembark in an orderly fashion. I hurried back to my car, surprised but relieved to find the know-it-all girl gone and Harry and Ron in their robes. All the rubbish has been picked up while we were changing so everything looked neat and clean.

The train came to a stop with a final loud whistle. A voice came over the train.

"All first years, please disembark first. You will find your guide who will take you to Hogwarts. All other students second year and above, please wait to be dismissed. Harry, Ron, and I looked at each other, excited to get to school. We got off the train to find about a hundred other first years. All of them looked a little nervous; so was I. Suddenly, a large man started booming out instructions.

"First years this way! Come on first years don't be shy!" came the voice of Hagrid. We all turned to look at the giant man. He spotted Harry and me closest to him. "Ello Harry, Eleanor!" He said happily. We smiled up at him, Ron standing with his mouth open. He marveled at his size. "Alright first years, this way to the boats." He explained. We walked a little ways to The Black Lake, the water way surrounding Hogwarts. "Alright, there to a boat." Hagrid said. The students looked around at one another while the three of us went right to first boat behind Hagrid. I certainly wanted to be the first one onto Hogwarts ground.

Finally, after everyone had been seated, Hagrid tapped his boat with his umbrella. It was funny, because right after that the boats began to move! All by themselves! It was truly magical.

In a matter of moments that went by way too fast, we reached the dock leading us to Hogwarts. We disembarked, and walked up the steps to the great big front doors. We stood in awe as we came into the front hallway. Portraits, moving portraits, were covering the walls. Hagrid showed us the direction to take and we followed the stairs to the Great Hall. At least to the doors to the great hall. A woman in an emerald green cloak and a pointed black hat stopped us all on the stairs.

"Good evening students. I am Professor McGonagall, teacher of Transformations and house leader of Gryffindor. Behind these doors begins your future at Hogwarts, but before that, you must be sorted into your houses. There are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. When you walk in, your name will be called, the Sorting Hat will be placed on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Now, just give me a moment to find out if they're ready for you." She turned and went quickly through the doors, unable to give us a glimpse of what lay behind. The students around us began chattering.

"So, it's true then?" A voice barked, gaining all attention in the room. We turned to see a boy with white blonde hair, pointed nose, and a sour disposition. He was looking right at Harry. "What they're saying on the train; Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." Suddenly a ripple of 'Harry Potter?' went throughout the room. "This is Crabbe." He said gesturing to the a short brute who looked like a stuffed pig. "And Goyle." He gestured to the other brute on his left who was tall and looked like a stuffed pig. "And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." The boy said very high and mightily. Ron let out a snicker. If he hadn't, I would have. The boy jerked his head towards Ron. "Think my names funny do you? Don't need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley." He said with disgust. Ron looked down, ashamed. Harry glanced at him, and I could see a flicker of anger. "Be careful Potter, you'll find that some wizarding families are better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sorts." I snickered. He jerked his head towards me. I stared at him.

"And what's your problem?" I looked around.

"Me? I don't have a problem. The only who's got a problem here is the one who seems to be running his big mouth." I blurted before realizing what I'd said. He stepped right up in front of me.

"I know you, you're that Phillips girl. The misfit." I glared hard at him. But before I could do anything I'd regret, Professor McGonagall came through. She tapped Malfoy on the shoulder, a parchment scroll in hand. Malfoy backed away.

"We're ready for you now." She said and led us through the massive doors. Inside was even better than outside. There were four long tables full of students but enough room to fit the lot of us. They all wore their house colors and sat with one another like best friends. At the far end was a table facing the room horizontally. There were much grander chairs for the teachers, and a master chair for the Headmaster.

The headmaster, from what I was told, was named Albus Dumbledore. He had a long snowy white beard and wore half moon spectacles. He wore robes of purple, adorned with stars. He looked like the kind of grandfather every child would want. Serious, with a sense of humor.

Just after the long house tables and before the staff table stood a rickety old stool. On top of it was an old leather hat, that looked like a dog had chewed it up and someone had tried to repair it. Badly. But, it was without a doubt the sorting hat that everyone talked about.

As I passed the Gryffindor table, which was the second table in from the left, I saw my siblings all looking at me happily. They waved at me and I waved back. I finally looked up, and realized that there were floating candles and beyond that, it looked like the entire night sky was exposed. It was uncanny.

"Alright students, gather round." Professor McGonagall called. "When I call your name, you will be sorted into your houses." She began starting off with names, while I looked around at all the tables. Kids of all different ages, races, and shapes and sizes were here. It was a school full of wonder and anticipation for any awaiting student.

"Granger, Hermione." I heard being called. I watched as the know-it-all girl went up, muttering to herself.

"Mental that one, I'm telling you." Ron whispered to Harry and I. We both tried to suppress a giggle. The hat shouted 'Gryffindor!' and she walked away happily to the Gryffindor table. Other names were shouted out when I heard 'Phillips, Eleanor.' I nervously went and sat on the stool. When the hat was placed on my head, it began to speak to me.

"Hmm, another Phillips. The last of a great line of witches and wizards."

"I'm not that great." I mumbled.

"Oh, you don't realize how great you are, and how great you can become. Which is why, you should be in…GRYFFINDOR!" He exclaimed. I happily went and sat by the others in my house.

'Potter, Harry.' Harry looked at us and then went to the stool. It seemed like the Sorting Hat spoke to him for longer than the others. Finally, the hat shouted 'Gryffindor!' Harry happily came and joined us.

All the students were sorted until there were none left. The headmaster then stood up, gathering our attention.

"Let the feast, begin." He said gladly and mountains upon mountains of food appeared before us. We gobbled it down, along with desert. I took the time during the last minutes to glance at the people in my house. I would be with these people for the next seven years of my life, taking breaks to go home during the summer. I would have another family during the school year, and be around a lot of young witches and wizards my age, going through the same things as me. It was then that I glanced at Harry, Ron, and even the know-it-all Hermione, and began to contemplate what having them as friends could be like.


	3. Chapter 3: Three Years Gone

Chapter 3: Three Years Gone...

So, here's what happened in the three years of Eleanor's life.

Year 1:

Nothing changed from the books besides Eleanor being there.

Year 2:

What I'm kind of sad about is that you missed the development of Ginny and Eleanor's relationship. You only saw a glimpse of her in the first chapter, and during Eleanor's second year you see her love for Ginny. Mrs. Weasley even told Eleanor that she was like an older sister to her, since she didn't have one. Eleanor cares very deeply for Ginny, which is why she's very upset when they start to grow apart after Ginny finds Tom Riddle's Diary. Ginny (at one point) tries to tell the foursome about it, but Ron blows her off; telling her to leave. Eleanor follows her and discovers her secret, only to be taken into the chamber with Ginny. It is then that Eleanor realizes who Tom Riddle is and what he's after: Harry.

Year 3:

This year didn't change much, except that Eleanor has her first nightmare. It depicts a scene: a skinny frail old man hiding in a cell. Dementors surround him, and perform one of the most deadliest things on him: the Kiss. Eleanor is ultimately frightened by this when she realizes it's Sirius Black, the man trying to kill her best friend. When the foursome discover that Sirius is innocent, she realizes it was more of a vision that she had seen. Eleanor also discovers that, while Harry is very much effected by the presence of a Dementor, she is almost immune to their cheerless charm. She and Harry both engage in lessons with Lupin in order to fully extend their learning, but for different reasons. Lupin knows why Eleanor is not effected by them and only tells Eleanor this: she is very different from other witches and wizards. This heightens Eleanor's concerns about her past and who she is. Following the incident in the Shrieking Shack, Eleanor and Harry both go after Sirius and Eleanor is the only one strong enough to stand up to the Dementors. But, without warning, she ends up in a coma from the effects of the Dementors leaving a lasting impression on her: she can now see into the minds of Dementors. Lupin explained that this meant that Eleanor would not only feel their effects on her, but they could very well possess her in ways that the world has never before seen.

So, I'm sorry that you had to miss all of this but I thought you should know so that when I make mention of it or relate things to these events you'll at least have a heads up. And if some of it is still too confusing, please tell me so I can resolve it.

~Lissa 3


	4. Chapter 4: Tournaments and Tricksters

Chapter 4: Tournaments and Tricksters

"Our fourth year guys, can you believe it?" I exclaimed as we walked off the train.

"What's gotten into you Eleanor?" Ron asked.

"Haven't you heard the rumors? Some of the older students have been saying that it's our turn to host the Triwizard Tournament!" I exclaimed.

"I've read about that-" Hermione started to say, but Ron interrupted her.

"You've read about everything, Hermione." She then hit him playfully in the arm, continuing.

"It's a tournament consisting of three tasks. There are three contestants, each from three different schools. At the end, the winner gets a trophy and everything. Mind you, it's very dangerous but an amazing event." She said with enthusiasm.

"Yeah if you like risking your neck for a trophy." Harry teased as we got into the self pushing carriage.

"Eleanor, didn't your eldest brother win the last time?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, like ten years ago." I said chuckling. As we waited for the carriage in front of us to go, I turned to see who we were waiting on. I saw Cedric Diggory, a sixth year at Hogwarts. He was in Hufflepuff, unlike me. I had one class with him: study hall. Almost everyone in school had that class for catch up time. But he never noticed me; until now. He turned and we made eye contact. His deep golden eyes and bronze colored hair. All the girls fell for him. I smiled at him and he waved a small wave. I shyly waved back and quickly turned around. All three of them had stopped talking. They all looked like they were trying to hold in a laugh.

"What?" I asked, still smiling.

"You like him, admit it." Ron said.

"I don't!" I exclaimed.

"Hermione, you're a girl. You know more about this than Harry or I do. I'm right, Eleanor likes Cedric."

"I'm not Eleanor, I don't know her thoughts." Hermione said, but I could see her fighting a smile.

As we all welcomed the new members to our houses, Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts, students!" Dumbledore announced. As he did a large pedestal with something atop it appeared beside him. "This year is certainly going to be splendid. Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: the Triwizard Tournament!" At that, all of us at our tables started shouting hoorah's.

"We have with us our very own legendary winner, Bradley Phillips. He has agreed to speak to you students about it." Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I instantly stood up clapping and cheering for him. As he stepped out he looked at the Gryffindor table and smiled at me.

"As you all know, I'm Bradley Phillips, the previous Triwizard winner." More shouts and applause went on from our table. "You all know my siblings, including my infamous little sister, Eleanor. Who is cringing behind her friends because I'm embarrassing her right now." He said smiling. "Now, for all of those intending on entering, be warned…" he paused slightly. "These, tasks, are not for the faint hearted. These are tasks you have never witnessed, made to test you physically and mentally. So, be careful." He turned to Dumbledore and bowed out. Everyone clapped and cheered. I sat in my seat thinking about what he said. Dumbledore spoke again.

"Now, three schools are going to be housed here. First is the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic!" he said. At once the Great Hall doors opened up and two straight rows of girls, from about fourteen to eighteen all dressed in blue uniforms, came sauntering out. Their headmistress towering at, at least, eight feet walked behind them. We all watched. Well, Ron was staring where he shouldn't have been.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed. Hermione instantly hit him on the arm. Harry and I laughed. I looked around behind me and saw Cedric looking at me. He smiled and I smiled back.

"Thank you Beauxbatons Academy. Next, please welcome the proud sons of Durmstrang!" we all clapped until the Great Hall doors burst open. We watched as a bunch of young men came through the hall, pounding sticks in time to a beat; red sparks flew every time they did this. Soon, they put their sticks down on the ground and started doing back flips and front flips like acrobats. Soon they had made their way and a large boy, excuse me, man started walking hastily down their isle. Dumbledore greeted the headmaster who followed along side the boy/man.

"Albus!" The man greeted Dumbledore heartily with a thick Ukraine accent.

"Igor!" Dumbledore greeted back.

"It's him-Viktor Krum!" Ron breathed.

"Viktor Krum?" Hermione asked.

"The seeker for the Bulgarian's. They played at the World Cup-" Ron said before Harry and Hermione both hit him in the arms. I looked down.

"Sorry for Ron's stupidity Eleanor." Hermione said.

"It's ok. I haven't told you much about what happened anyways. Has your dad said much Ron?" I asked.

"No, he's not allowed to talk about it. Sorry Eleanor." Ron apologized.

"It's ok Ron, you're forgiven." Harry looked at me sympathetically. We looked up at Dumbledore.

"Now that-" all of a sudden the floating candles and night sky ceiling all started to shake and disappear when a sudden thunderbolt from a wand fixed it. We looked at the angled man who had conjured it.

"Holy cricket, it's Mad Eye Moody!" I whispered.

"Alastor Moody, the auora?" Hermione asked.

"Auora?" Dean Thomas asked.

"He's a dark wizard catcher. Half the lot in Azkaban are there thanks to him." I explained.

"He looks right mad." Harry commented.

"You'd go mad too if you had his job most of your life." Ron added.

"Ah, Alastor Moody! Right on time." Dumbledore said hugging Moody.

"Yeah, that ceiling never worked right." He said Dumbledore went back to his podium.

"Now that all of the schools are here, we have some new rules to enforce. In light of recent events," he said looking at me "we had to change a few things. Here to explain them is Mr. Barty Crouch." A light clapping happened.

"The new rule being enforced is as follows: no witch or wizard under the age of seventeen is permitted to enter their name into the Goblet of Fire." He said. Instantly a large portion of the room whined and complained.

"Rubbish! That's rubbish!" Fred and George exclaimed. I could see that many of the students were upset with this rule, mostly the boys.

"Angela!" I called to my fifth year sister. She turned to me, her chocolate brown hair turning in slow motion.

"Yeah?" she asked above the voices.

"Where's Mark?" I asked.

"Probably off doing something stupid with the Weasley twins." She replied. I pointed to the two redheaded boys. She got a confused look on her face.

"I don't know. Maybe Paul does." Paul was our seventh year brother.

To give you a little history of our family, I'm the youngest of six. Before me is Angela, the beautiful. She got all of the great looks in the family. Before her is Mark, the mischief. He's always getting into trouble; especially with the Weasley twins. Paul is currently the oldest child living at home. Before him is Lauren and Brad. Brad's older than Lauren but she graduated early. Lauren's studying to become a potions master while Brad's learning to train with magical creatures.

All of my siblings were, and still are, top students. They've all made their mark here. Brad won the Triwizard Tournament, Lauren came up with some wonderful stain remover, and was top potions student. Paul is currently Quidditch captain, since Oliver Wood graduated last year. Mark is the prankster of the school, so I guess that's not really special. Even Angela is the most popular girl and a great public speaker. And then there's me. All I seem to do is find trouble. Rephrase, trouble finds me. I thought that if I could win the tournament, or at least be entered, I'd make some sort of mark here. That was certainly out of the question now.

"Eleanor!" I heard my name being called. I saw Angela and Paul looking at me.

"Did you find him?" I asked. Angela shook her head.

"He'll show up, don't worry." Paul clarified and turned back to his friends and so did Angela.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. I turned to him.

"Nothing, it's just that Mark's not here." I said. Before he could answer, Dumbledore got our attention again.

"Since we were in need of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, again, we have asked Professor Alastor Moody to teach you." Moody stood up, his fake eye rolling around.

"Now, I am about to show you the best part of the tournament." Dumbledore took out his wand and pointed it at the covered pedestal. The cover melted away to show a large goblet.

"The Goblet of Fire signifies the burning and beginning to the tournament. May some one write their name upon a bit of parchment and toss it into the flames. Know this, if chosen you stand alone. You all have until the midnight hour on next Thursday night to enter." Suddenly the goblet burst out a red flame. "As of now, the tournament has begun."

As we departed from the Great Hall to our dorms, Ron couldn't stop talking about the Beauxbaton girls.

"They are so…"

"Yes Ron! We know." Hermione stated. Harry and I laughed at them when the stairs finally stopped at our portrait. We climbed up to the pink lady.

"Password?" she asked.

"Munkshood." I said and she opened up. We saw no one around so we sat on the couches by the fire.

"So…you ever going to tell us?" Ron asked me. Hermione instantly hit him in the arm. I glanced over them.

"Well, I supposed so. There's not really much to tell. It all started when my brothers wanted to go see the Irish play at the World Cup, so I decided to tag along for the fun. It was that first night after the game. Brad had gone outside to check and see what the commotion was all about. He saw tents on fire and people running around and screaming. He yelled to us to run back to our portkey. As we did, I got lost in the crowds of people. As I tried to follow the crowd, someone ran into me and knocked me down." I stopped to pause and give myself a moment. "Then, after everyone had left, I woke up, still on the ground. I saw a man amidst the smoke and he shouted a spell, and a green bolt of light flew from his wand. A skull with a snake coming out of its mouth floated in the sky. Then men in black cloaks appeared and ran after the man. Your father found me, Ron. And then I had to explain it all again to the Ministry." I looked up at them. "That's what really happened. The Daily Prophet can only speculate what happened because they still haven't caught him. So they haven't released much to the public." Harry put his arm around me and I leaned on his shoulder, embracing my friend.


	5. Chapter 5: Mad Eye

Chapter 5: Mad Eye

The next day was our first day with Professor Moody. We all walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and saw all our usual desks. Hermione and I grabbed one together, with Harry and Ron's desk directly across from us. As soon as we all seated, Moody came down from his office and stood in front of us.

"Alastair Moody." He said introducing himself and wrote his name on the board. "Ex-auora. I am here because Dumbledore asked me to be. End of story. Good-bye. The end." He stated. "When teaching, I believe in a practical approach." He said, turning to the black board and began writing something. "Now, I'm going to teach you about the Unforgivable Curses. But, the Ministry has prohibited the use of these. I say different!" he spat. "You need to know what you're up against! You need to be prepared! You need to find a better place to put your chewing gum besides the underside of your desk, Mr. Finnegan!" he bellowed.

"Ah, no way! The old codger can see out of the back of his head." Seamus whispered. Suddenly, Moody threw his piece of chalk at Seamus, barely missing him.

"And clear across classrooms!" he exclaimed. "Constant vigilance." He stressed. "Now, can anyone tell me how many there are?"

"Three, sir." Hermione squeaked, not looking him in the eye.

"And they are so named?"

"Because they are unforgivable. The use of any one of them will-"

"Earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban. Correct. Now, can anyone name one?" he asked. He looked at Ron. "Weasley!" he exclaimed, scaring Ron.

"Yes, sir?" he asked.

"Stand. Do you know one?" Moody asked, eyeing Ron.

"Well…my dad did tell me about one once. The Imperious Curse."

"Ah ha! Correct. Sit." He wrote it on the board. He then opened a jar and got out a spider. "Hello." He said to the bug. "Engorgio." He said and the bug doubled in size. "Imperio!" he said and then the bug began to levitate. Moody had the bug do all sorts of things. "Talented, isn't she?" he asked. "What should I have her do? Jump out the window?" he asked, flinging her to the window. "Drown herself?" he then levitated her over a jar of water. He then put the bug back onto his hand.

"Scores of witches and wizards, claimed, that they only did You-Know-Who's bidding, under the influence of the Imperious Curse. But here's the problems: how do we sort out the liars?" he asked evilly. He then went to Neville's desk. "Longbottom, isn't it?" Neville nodded. "Professor Sprout says you've got an aptitude for Herbology." Neville nodded again. "Perhaps you can give us one?"

"There's the…the Cruciatus Curse."

"Correct! Correct! Come, come." He said, gesturing him to the table in front. He set the spider down. "The torture curse, nasty thing." He pointed his wand at the bug. "Crucio!" and the spider began to squeal and cry. You could see on Neville's face that he didn't like watching this. After a few too many seconds, no one had said anything.

"Stop it!" I cried at Moody. "Can't you see it's bothering him? Stop it!" Moody then pulled his wand away, and the spider stopped screaming. Neville shuffled back to his desk, traumatized, and I couldn't look up at Moody as he walked to my desk.

"Perhaps you could give us the last one, Ms. Phillips?" Moody asked, putting the spider on my desk. The poor thing looked frightened. I shook my head.

"No?" he seemed to sigh and then shouted those horrible words. "Avada Kedavra!" and with a green bolt of light, the spider died instantly. "That's all class." He said, and we rushed out of there as quickly as we could.

As we walked down the stairs, we talked about our lesson.

"He's brilliant, isn't he? Completely demented of course, but he's really been there." Ron raved about Moody.

"That was unprofessional." I spat. "There's a reason those curses are unforgivable. And to perform them in a classroom. Absolutely unprofessional." We then saw Neville staring out the window, the rain coming down hard.

"Neville?" Hermione said, patting his shoulder. "Are you alright?" suddenly a different arm turned Neville around.

"Son, are you alright?" Moody asked. Neville nodded gently. "Come on, we'll have a cup of tea. I want to show you something." Moody said and Neville followed him back up the steps.

I looked at all of the sixth and seventh years putting in their names into the Goblet of Fire. Dumbledore had explained that the Goblet would choose who the three students would be. All of a sudden we saw Cedric being pushed by his friends to put his name in the cup. He walked up slowly and then plopped his piece of parchment into the blue fire. It turned orange and red as it consumed the paper. He looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back.

Fred and George came bursting through the door with a bunch of their friends, my brother included.

"We have discovered the way to enter!" They yelled.

"It's not going to work." Hermione sing songed. The twins stood on either side of us.

"Oh yeah?" Fred asked.

"Why's that Granger?" George responded.

"You see this?" she asked pointing to the blue circle surrounding the Goblet. "This is an age line. Dumbledore drew it himself." She explained.

"So?" They both asked.

"So, a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something as pathetically dimwitted as an aging potion."

"But that's why its so brilliant." George claimed.

"Because it's so pathetically dimwitted." Fred said. They both drank from their potion bottles. They then jumped over the line and into the ring and everyone cheered. But before they could take another step, they were repelled out of the circle. Their potion backfired as grey beards and hair began to sprout on their heads. We all started to laugh hysterically as they began to fight on the floor. Suddenly, Viktor Krum came through the doors heading for the Goblet. As he put his name into it, he looked at Hermione. He lightly smiled and she returned the smile.

"I didn't think you were the bad boy type." I stated to her. She shut her book.

"Don't be ridiculous Eleanor." Hermione stated. But she couldn't hide the smile that was tugging at her lips.

"May I have your attention please?" McGonagall asked the Great Hall a week later. Dumbledore stood up and the Goblet of Fire stood beside him.

"It is now time to find out which three students, will participate in the Tri-wizard Tournament!" he exclaimed and everyone shouted and cheered. The fire's bright blue flames licked at the ceiling.

"Know this…" Dumbledore said, silencing us. "Once chosen, there is no turning back." The fire exploded and a piece of frilly blue paper floated to Dumbledore's hand.

"From Beauxbatons Academy, Miss Fleur Delacour." He exclaimed. A blonde haired beauty stepped up and shook Dumbledore's hand before heading down to the dungeons. A brown piece of parchment burst from the fire, and Dumbledore caught it.

"From Durmstrang, Viktor Krum!" All of the men yelled and cheered as Krum walked up and shook Dumbledore's. He then followed after Fleur. Finally, the last piece of parchment flew into the air. All of us students from Hogwarts waited in anticipation, because this would be our champion.

"And from Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory!" all of the Hufflepuff cheered and yelled. This would be a first for Hufflepuff, considering they never really got entered in anything. Cedric walked up to Dumbledore, received his handshake, and followed after the other two champions.

"Thank you everyone. We now have our three champions! Of course, only one will go down in history and will receive the honor and glory of being the Tri-wizard Champion!" he pointed to a cloaked object and the cloth flew off, revealing the Tri-wizard Cup. It glowed and shined brightly without a spotlight. But suddenly, the Goblet of Fire turned bright red and orange, and spit out another piece of paper. Dumbledore took the paper, and read the name to himself, then out loud.

"Eleanor Phillips!" he cried. I stared wide-eyed at the floor. "Eleanor Phillips!" he cried again.

"Go!" Hermione whisper-yelled at me and she and Ron pushed me up onto my feet. I walked, trying to keep my eyes on the floor, but I could feel all eyes on me: especially my siblings. Dumbledore handed me the paper as proof. And there, in what looked like my handwriting, was my name. I looked up at him, and then I followed after the others. The students in the hall started to whisper and a few shouted at me.

"That's not fair!" one boy from Ravenclaw yelled.

"She's not even seventeen yet!" a girl from Slytherin yelled too. I looked at all of the teachers who stared at me as I went down to the dungeon where the other champions had gone.

As soon as I entered, I could hear all the other headmasters clamoring down to put in their opinions about the situation.

"I object! I object!" Madame Maxine exclaimed as she came down the steps. Dumbledore came straight up to me.

"Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire, Eleanor?" he asked sternly.

"No, sir." I stated.

"Well of course she is lying." Madame Maxine cried.

"The hell she is!" Moody shouted above them all, silencing them. "The Goblet of Fire is a very powerful magical object. Only an exceptionally powerful Confundus Charm could have hoodwinked it. Something way beyond the talents of a fourth year." He explained in my defense.

"You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought, Mad Eye." Karkarof stated, narrowing his eyes at Moody.

"It was once my job to think as dark wizards did, perhaps you remember Karkarof." Moody said, returning the glare.

"That doesn't help, Alistair." Dumbledore said, turning to Mr. Crouch. "You're the rule maker, Barty."

"The rules are clear." He stated. "The Goblet of Fire constitutes a binding magical contract." I didn't like where he was going with this. "As of tonight, Ms. Phillips is…a Tri-wizard Champion. In one month's time, the first task will begin. Prepare yourselves, and best of luck to you all." The champions and their headmasters left the trophy room. I looked into the case where the other Tri-wizard Cup was kept, its glow was a bit dimmer than the one in the Great Hall. Dumbledore came up to me.

"Eleanor, I must ask you again. Did you or did you not put your name into the Goblet of Fire?" he asked sternly. I shook my head.

"No, sir. I didn't want this. Honestly. Just because I'm Brad's sister, now everyone will think that I did it on purpose." I sighed. "I just want to make my mark in some different way than all my other siblings, sir. I don't want to be like them." I quickly turned away from him to hid my emotions. He put a hand on my shoulder.

"You, and your three friends, have made your mark much deeper than you realize. The Sorcerers Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, and…well…" He was referring to last year's fiasco with a hippogriff and an escape convict who turned out to be Harry's Godfather. He smiled at me. "Now, go get some rest." He said, ushering me out. From the corners I could see Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Moody waiting for me to leave. Most likely to discuss what was to be done with me.

The next morning at breakfast, I was extremely tired. I hadn't been able to sleep a wink that night because all of that had happened. Hermione was already in bed by the time I had gotten back to the dorms. That morning, she hadn't burned me for questions once. None of them had. But as we sat there in silence, my food untouched, Hermione gently jostled my shoulder, waking me from my sleepless slumber.

"Eleanor, are you alright?" she asked. But instead of answering her, I instantly bolted out of the Great Hall my grey pleated skirt swishing as I left.

I headed down the familiar trail, kicking up dust along the way. I headed to the one familiar place where I knew I wouldn't be judged, and where I could talk openly. I knew Hagrid was home due to the smoke brewing out of his chimney. I knocked on his door and saw the large half-giant standing there, a big grin on his face.

"Eleanor! This is a surprise!" he exclaimed. But, I failed to notice the single tear that had fallen down my cheek. But he noticed it. "What's te madder? Come inside and we'll have a pot a te'." He said ushering me in. I sat down in one of the large wooden chairs, and as Hagrid poured me a cup there was a fervent knock on the door. He handed me a tissue before he answered the door. I dried my tears as he let some others inside. I turned to see my pals. I chuckled at my predictability.

"That easy huh?" I asked as they sat down. They all nodded in agreement.

"So, tell me yer troubles Eleanor." Hagrid said handing out the cups of tea, and taking a seat.

"They've decided what to do." I stated after taking a sip of my tea. Hagrid looked up immediately.

"They 'ave? So soon?" he asked.

"Well, they can't possibly hold off for more than a day."

"Wait, what's going on? Who's decided what?" Hermione asked.

"I'm competing in the tournament." I said softly.

"Dumbledore's lettin' ye'?" Hagrid asked. I nodded.

"They don't have a choice. Mr. Crouch said I've now made a binding magical contract." I murmured. "Except I don't even want this." I said even softer.

"Then, why'd you do it?" Hermione asked. I looked up at her.

"I didn't 'do' anything."

"Well, somebody had to have." She pressed.

"Of course! But that doesn't mean that I did it!" I exclaimed. I looked at all of them. "You think I orchestrated this?"

"Well, you were really excited about the tournament, Eleanor." Ron added.

"Someone put my name in that cup against my will! Why won't you guys believe me?" I demanded. None of them would look up at me.

"But who would want you to be entered into this tournament?" Hermione asked.

"I don't bloody well know, but it would be nice if you would all at least try to believe me!" I said, instantly regretting it. " I didn't want this." I said picking up my cloak and leaving.

I tried to keep my distance from them and I truly felt alone. Even my own siblings gave me the cold shoulder. I wrote to my parents and they said they believed me, but I could tell from their wording that they were skeptical. The only one who seemed not to care were Ron and Athena. Athena, well she was my owl and didn't understand what was going on. Ron, he tried hard to get Hermione to speak to me again. And Harry, I'm not sure where he was on the conflict. All I knew was that he was uncomfortable around me.


	6. Chapter 6: There's a Dragon?

Chapter 6: Where there's a Will there's a...Dragon?

A month went by fast, a blur. But in comparison the day of the first task was a nightmare. Waking up and realizing that I could very well be going to my doom was not at all what I wanted to be doing. I prepared myself in my red and gold track suit my mother had made for me. It had the Gryffindor emblem on the left shoulder and a big P on the back of the jacket. I put on the running shoes my dad had sent with me. I used them in the summer when I was at home, and they too were in gold and red. I looked at Hermione's bed, all neatly made. I missed her; I missed my best friend.

I walked down to the stadium with the Professor McGonagall

The tent was huge, but the stadium was bigger. All of the colors of the schools were decked out everywhere. Inside the tent were four spots, in the colors of the champion, along with beds and food baskets. I saw on my bed, feeling the velvet of the pants and touching the H stitched to my jacket. I would make my parents proud. I decided then that, if I survived, I would make it up to all of them. Suddenly, I heard a 'pst' by the back entrance. I stepped close to the cloth, and pulled open the flaps. I saw Hermione standing there. It surprised me a bit.

"Um…hi." I managed to spit out. I looked at her, and saw that she was on the brink of tears. I took her in from the cold.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" I asked. She instantly took me into a hug, squeezing me tightly. I hesitated a moment, then hugged her back. Once we pulled back, we saw that we both had tears in our eyes.

"I'm so sorry Eleanor!" she exclaimed through her tears. "I'm sorry I haven't been a very good friend."

"No, I'm sorry. I was being such a drama queen about all of this."

"No, I wasn't being a good friend. I should have been supporting you, not questioning you." We hugged again, and it felt good to have my best friend back. We both suddenly turned around and saw the other champions and their coaches gathering around.

"Now, I know we haven't had much time to talk about this but I have devised a plan."

"I'm all ears." I said. She smiled at my willingness.

"I have placed your broom by the door of the stadium. Use the spell Accio, and then call for your broom. Nimbus."

"A summoning spell?" I questioned. "That's level six magic! I can't achieve that."

"You have to try Eleanor! All you have to do is-"

"Fight whatever it is I'm up against in the hopes that my broom will come?" I asked, trying to make light of the situation. It wasn't easy. She nodded, gave me one more quick hug, then snuck out the tent door. Dumbledore and Mr. Crouch came in ready to begin the tournament.

"Having been called first, Miss Delacour will start. Followed by Mr. Krum, then Mr. Diggory and last Miss Phillips." Mr. Crouch took out a velvet bag, showing it to us.

"Inside this bag, holds what you will be facing for the first task. Miss Delacour." He said. Fleur stuck her hand in the bag, and pulled out a miniature, but very real, white dragon.

"The Alaskan Snow Dragon." He said, and passed the bag around to Krum. He pulled out a red dragon. "The Chinese Fire Bolt." Cedric pulled out a yellow dragon. "The Swedish Short-snout." The last one for was for me. Dumbledore put a hand on my shoulder as I pulled out a ferocious spiked dragon.

"The Hungarian Horntail." Of course, I get the hardest looking and ugliest one. "Each of these represent very real dragons, each with a goal to protect a golden egg. The task is simple; collect the golden egg. This you must do, for with which you can not hope to proceed to the next task. Mr. Diggory, you first." Cedric went pale, and I could see the sweat glistening on his brow. His dad patted his shoulder, and Cedric gave me a weak smile. He left to fight his dragon.

"Three of our contestants have completed the tasks. The final contestant Eleanor Phillips will conclude the first task of the tournament." A loud roar of applause came from the crowd. I was the only one left in the tent. I walked slowly towards the opening, scared for what was behind it. I opened the tent doors and was surprised to find the sun covered by grey clouds. I could hear thunder rolling in the distance. I looked around all of the cheering crowd, but their cries died down.

I looked over the terrain. It was rocky and very enclosed, the walls high and closing us around. I pulled my wand out of my pocket, ready to face the dragon. But, I couldn't see it anywhere. I moved forward slowly, anticipating an attack. I spied the golden egg, and I swiftly darted for it. But before I could reach it, the large dragon intercepted me. It reared its ugly head at me. It had a spiked head, spikes lining its back, and a nasty spiked tail. It roared loudly, penetrating the eerie silence. It instantly spotted me, blowing a hot stream of fire in my direction. I hid behind a rock just in time to miss it. I could feel the head of the fire concentrated on the rock. I noticed a chain around its neck, keeping it close to the center and giving me access to the sides and walls as a protection. I needed a distraction.

I saw a hand sized rock, and an idea sparked. I picked it up, and muttered a spell. The rock became a red bouncy ball. I turned quickly and threw the red ball across the area. I watched the dragon's attention follow the ball. This was my chance. I stood up on the rock, pointing my wand in the air.

"Accio Nimbus!" I yelled. The dragon was still distracted as I ran for the egg. I reached for it but I stumbled, missing it by inches. I looked around for my broom, knowing it was my only chance. I spied it at the edge of the ring. But as I darted for it, the spell on the rock wore off. The dragon turned his attention to me, its eyes wild for a taste for my flesh. Too bad, it was never going to happen.

I darted for my broom, its fiery breath barely missing me. I jumped onto the broom and took off to the sky but the second blast from the fire grazed my arm. The dragon became infuriated and flew at me. As it did, it broke the chain around its neck and flew into the sky.

Rain started to fall heavily. It was ice cold, and splattered my face. When I realized it was heading right for me, free as a bird, I knew I needed to loose it. But, loosing a dragon as big as a house isn't easy. I flew towards the castle, dodging its fiery darts. As I rounded the corner of a tower, I looked back and it was gone. I sighed in relief until I ran right into it. I barely missed its fire, but its tail knocked into me and threw me off balance. I fell onto the Astronomy tower, grabbing at the roof wherever I could. My feet caught on the tower water drains, breaking my fall.

As I tried to pull free, I could hear the deep roar of the dragon. I turned around and could see the spiky head, searching for me. I quickly unzipped my jacket and my black cami was instantly soaked from the downpour of the rain. I climbed along the roof, extending my hand to reach my broom which had snagged on the drain. But I wasn't close enough.

I climbed farther and I could literally hear the breathing of the dragon. Scared, I turned around and saw he was no less than twenty feet away. He breathed more fire, and I tried my best to lay flat on the roof. The fire grazed my shoulder blades, singeing my cami and exposing my back. I winced at the flames, but the rain cooled the burns quickly. I tried reaching for my broom when I noticed my wand sticking out of my pocket. Before the dragon could heart me again, I drew my wand.

"Incendio!" I cried. A burst of flame shot at the dragons eyes. A taste of it's own medicine. It yelled in pain and fell off the roof with a loud roar. I watched it fall into the grey mist, tumbling into a black abyss. With the dragon gone, I reached for my broom and flew back to the stadium.

As I flew in, roars of applause and music rippled through the air. I spied the egg and flew down. I was filthy, burned, and very cold. But I picked the egg up with both hands and raised it high. The roars of applause got even louder. As I looked up at the egg, I suddenly felt very dizzy and blacked out, falling to the rocky terrain.

I woke up in the hospital wing. My clothes had been changed to red sweats. My right upper arm was bandaged as was my upper back. I sat up and saw everyone around me.

"Hey, how long have I been out?" I asked.

"Only an hour. Dumbledore was worried about you after you passed out on the field. They didn't know what was wrong with you until Madam Pomfrey explained you were just exhausted." Hermione explained. Harry handed me the golden egg.

"All for this thing…" I muttered accepting it.

"We didn't open it. Promise." Harry said. I placed my hand on the golden clasp and turned it. The flaps opened and a bubbly crystal clear egg showed inside. But a shriek louder than the dragon filled our ears and pierced us. I quickly closed it, but the shriek left an echo in the wing. They all looked at me, taking their hands off their ears.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron asked.

"I have no idea." I responded.

Half an hour later I was allowed to leave. Paul, Mark, and Angela had already left for bed while Ron, Hermione, and Harry had stayed to walk me back to the dormitories. I told them the story about what happened to me after I flew out of the stadium.

"We thought you were finished when dragon took off after you." Ron said.

"Why didn't Dumbledore stop the dragon?" I asked.

"He said that they didn't have enough time or enough power to bring the dragon back." Hermione explained.

"But that was brilliant when you turned that ball into a rock. The look on the dragons face when he couldn't burn it was classic." Ron said. We arrived at the pink lady portrait. We all headed off to bed, weary of the days events.

I placed the egg on the bedside table trying to imagine what it could hold; besides a very unholy sound.

"What do you think is with this egg?" I asked Hermione. She turned to face me, setting her large book down.

"Well, it was all clear and liquidly, right?" she asked. I nodded. "Perhaps its something to help you in the next task." I rolled my eyes.

"That much I had noticed. But I meant the sound, how can a sound help me?" I asked.

"Sounds tell you things." She stated.

"But what?"

"I don't know." I gasped.

"Hermione Granger, not knowing something?" I asked in fake surprise. She quickly turned and grabbed her pillow, throwing it at me. I ducked and grabbed my own and we fell asleep with feathers on the floor.


	7. Chapter 7: Boy's Aren't Worth It

Chapter 7:Boy's Aren't Worth all they're Made out to Be

The cold of November seemed to come on suddenly. Or perhaps I just didn't realize the passing of time so quickly. Either way, it was already the last day of November and over three weeks since I had received the egg and it still meant as little to me as when I had received it. I was very lost in trying to solve its mysteries.

I took a walk out to the commons. Even for November weather, the snow had been a nice surprise. I sat on one of the benches, embracing the winters breeze. It penetrated deep into my bones, but I reveled at the feel. The flicker of anger that once surrounded me, due to my mysterious entrance into the tournament, was silenced with my performance of the first task. Though, the Hufflepuff's were still a little bit bitter since I was snuffing their champion out. Beating a bunch of sixth and seventh years wasn't the best way to receive praise from the apposing sides.

"May I sit down?" I heard a voice ask me. I looked up to see Cedric standing in front of me.

"Sure." I said, gesturing to the empty bench. "Take your pick." He smiled at me, and I hoped I wasn't blushing.

"You know, I think its really brave what you're doing. Whether you put your name in the cup or not, know that not everyone's against you. At least…I'm not." He said.

"Thanks. That means a lot." He looked up towards the sky.

"Have you figured out your egg yet?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No. Hermione's been trying to help me, but we've discovered nothing about the egg." He turned to me.

"If you like, I could give you a hint." I looked at him, surprised.

"Um, thanks but I don't think that's allowed." He shrugged.

"What's it really matter? It's just a hint. And besides, I'm sure you'd do the same for me." I looked down, trying to resist the temptation. "Ok, I won't make it a big hint. Go up to the prefects bathroom on the fifth floor. The password is Bubbly Soap. Speak it to the witch with one eye. She'll grant you passage." I looked at him funny.

"Are you trying to get me into the bath-" My accusation startled him.

"No, no!" He said, his hands up in a defensive position. "Just go there, and take your egg with you. I'm sure you'll find the answer." I nodded.

"Ok, I guess that was cryptic enough to escape detection." He smiled.

"So, have you been asked to the Yule Ball?" he asked casually. I shook my head.

"No, I don't think I'll go with anyone. Besides, it's just a ball right?" I asked, trying to sound like it didn't matter.

"Well you can go by yourself, but a ball is much more fun if you go with someone." He said, shifting uncomfortably. He looked like he was blushing when he asked, "And, coincidently, I haven't been asked either." I looked at him.

"The Hogwarts Champion hasn't been asked to the Ball?" I asked, then realized that what I said was very rude. "Oh, I'm sorry. Sometimes my mouth runs off before my mind can catch up." I said.

"Don't worry. And there are two Hogwarts Champions." He said. "So, would you like to go…with me?" He asked me so sincerely that I would have been a fool to have said no.

"Well, I mean since you are asking, yes. I'll go with you Cedric." I said smiling. He smiled just as brightly back at me.

"Excellent. Well, I'd best be off. I'll leave you a note saying the time and place to pick you up." He said getting up.

"I'll be expecting it." I said with a grin. He waved and then left. I breathed in deeply. Had Cedric Diggory, my supposed enemy in this tournament, just asked me out? To the biggest event of the year? I could scarcely believe it. I'd have just been happy with the conversation, but I was left with a date. Me, a date! Wait until my friends heard about this. But, price had I paid to get this far?

"The Yule Ball is a tradition that has followed the First Task of the tournament, since it's inception." Professor McGonagall explained the following week. December was already here and in a few weeks the Yule Ball would take place on Christmas Eve. "But the Yule Ball is, first and formally, a dance." At that she looked to Mr. Filch, the caretaker, who turned on an old megaphone. A song started up. All of the Gryffindor's looked at each other.

"All right, let's see." She said and looked over at Ron. He was seated beside Harry on the other side with the rest of the boys. "Mr. Weasley." She said looking at him, her crooked finger pointing in his direction.

"Yes?" He asked absolutely terrified. McGonagall stood up and took his hand.

"Now, Mr. Weasley, place your hand on my waist." She said putting her left hand on his shoulder.

"Where?" he exclaimed.

"My waist." She said again, forcing his hand. "Now this dance is a simple box step. 1, 2, 3 and 1, 2, 3." She said while Ron fumbled over his feet. We all tried to stifle our laughter.

"Alright, let's everybody stand up." McGonagall said and Ron bolted back to his seat. "Up, up boys." McGonagall motioned. None of the boys stood up, but we girls couldn't wait to get started. "Come now boys, don't be shy." I saw this as ridiculous. I stepped over the invisible line towards my friends. I stood right in front of Ron and Harry.

"Harry, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" I asked. He stood up, looking a little awkward but willing to give effort.

"I'd be honored." He said. He held out his hand, which I took and placed my hand on his shoulder. He tentatively put his on my waist and we heard the music start back up. We glided in tune to the music, performing the box step as McGonagall had showed us. I suddenly spun out, Harry's hands knowing what they were doing. He held onto me as I spun back in. Our fingers intertwined together, and for a brief second I looked up at him. He seemed to know what he was doing, and he liked it. I spun out again and came back in, when the song eneded.

"Now Ms. Phillips, curtsy to Mr. Potter for taking on such a talented dancer." She said pleased. I looked at Harry and curtsied.

"Thank you Mr. Potter." I said formally, bending at the knees.

"The pleasure was all mine, Ms. Phillips." He said bowing. We left the demonstration, and I couldn't wait to try dancing with Cedric.

It was a week away from the ball, and we four sat in Study Hall together on the long tables in the great hall. Hermione was just about done with her work when she turned to me.

"Eleanor, have you been asked to the ball?" she inquired. I smiled at her knowingly.

"Possibly." I said suspiciously.

"Come on Eleanor, tell us." Ron said. I turned to him.

"Only if you tell us who you both are going with." Ibargained.

"No one. Now you can tell us." Harry said. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't lie," I accused. Suddenly a paper airplane flew our way, hitting Ron right in the forehead. I picked it up and saw that it was a note. George had sent it our way, and it asked 'Who are you four going with?' I looked at him.

"Who are you going with?" I whisper yelled as I threw it back. He crumpled it up and threw it at Angelina Johnson, a chaser on the Gryffindor quidditch team. She looked at George.

"What?" She mouthed.

"Will you go to the ball with me?" he asked with weird hand gestures. She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah." She mouthed. George and Fred high-fived each other. Ron looked down, then looked at Hermione.

"Hey Hermione, you're a girl." He said with a smirk.

"Well spotted." She spat.

"Why don't you and Eleanor go with me and Harry? It's brilliant!" he exclaimed when suddenly Professor Snape whacked him on the head with a large book. We all looked down to avoid getting whacked ourselves.

"We've already got dates, Ron." I stated. He rolled his eyes.

"Come on, for a guy to go alone, at least he can pick up a girl. But for a girl to go alone, its just sad." We both gasped at his rudeness.

"I won't be going alone because for your information, somebody has already asked me." She said picking up her books. "And I said yes." She spat at him, taking off to turn in her Study Hall assignment. Professor Snape accepted it and she turned and left. I glared at Ron.

"Just because you're desperate doesn't mean you have to shoot down Hermione for getting asked before you could." I said turning in my own assignment. I went back and grabbed my books, pausing a moment. "Here's a word of advice boys, never, under any circumstances ask your friend out as a last resort when all others have been taken. And here's a hint: Cho Chang hasn't been asked out yet and neither has Luna Lovegood. Both are in Ravenclaw; perhaps they'll knock some sense into you." I said glaring with malice. I sped off to comfort my friend. Boys could be so stupid!


	8. Chapter 8: Dangerous Illusions

Chapter 8: Dangerous Illusions

December 25th was a beautiful day. The snow had piled on heavily outside, creating a lovely winter wonderland. The castle had been decorated with such splendor, but when we were all told to leave and get ready after dinner, the teachers hinted that there was still more magic to come.

Hermione and I got ready in our room, when I pulled out a bright red and gold box. It had been from my mother.

"What's in there?" Hermione asked. I shook my head.

"I'm not sure. I told my parents that I had been asked to the ball, the next letter I got came with this box. They told me there was a charm on the box so that I couldn't open it until the 25th." I explained.

"Well, go on open it!" she urged. I daintily lifted the lock of the box and gasped at what I saw inside it.

"My oh my!" Hermione exclaimed. A beautiful ruby necklace varnished in a gold chain hung beautifully on a velvet case. It was accompanied by two ruby studs and a lovely gold bracelet. A small note said, 'To my Ellie.' It wasn't signed but I knew it was from Dad. I lifted it and found beneath it more gifts. Mum wrote a letter saying that it was some make-up for me to wear. Not too much, she stressed. Wonderful shades of gold and brown and neutral colors were in it as well as a dark shade of red lipstick. I marveled at all of it.

"You're going to look splendid Eleanor." Hermione commented. I set them on my bed while I grabbed my dress from the small wardrobe in the room. The beautiful dark green silk felt soft in my hands. The gold shoes to go with it completed the outfit. Angela had commented on the green, saying that it could bring out my bluish-green eyes.

"Come on, we've only got an hour left." Hermione chided as she pulled out her gown from beside mine. It was a gorgeous color of pink, but the further down the dress you looked, the pink grew darker in color. It was layered nicely with ruffles and a simple waist ribbon. Hermione had curled her hair with the help of Angela's curling iron. I still didn't know how she managed to power it, but I wasn't one to complain. She had piled Hermione's curls high, with some lovely silver and pink flower pins. Angela twisted my hair into a lovely style, though I had know I idea what it was called. She let a few strands of hair fly loose and curled those. She said I looked like a princess.

"Hermione you never did tell me who you were going with." I said, eyeing her as I put on my make-up. She sighed.

"If I do, then you have to promise me that you won't laugh." She said. "Viktor Krum asked me." She muttered. I spun around.

"Viktor? Viktor Krum Viktor?" I exclaimed as Hermione slipped her dress on.

"Don't act so shocked Eleanor." She said, trying to zip up her dress. I went over and helped her.

"No, I'm not so shocked as I am impressed. Do you know how many girls follow that man around daily?" I asked. "All of those girls would kill to be in your shoes right now." I said tying her bow.

"Well, you're going with Cedric Diggory." She said in a dramatic voice.

"I know, I know." I chided. "Do you like him?" I asked as I slipped into my dress.

"I don't know. He doesn't talk much, for me to get to know him." She helped me with my zipper.

"Well," I said handing her the necklace to put on me. "You'll have all hours of the night to talk about yourselves." I said. I looked at the two of us in the floor length mirror. I turned to her.

"Let's make a vow." I said.

"A vow? Of what?" she asked.

"Tonight is the night of the Ball. We've been asked out by men way more older than us. Let's make a vow, to make it last as long as we can. To spend the entire evening with these two men who had the guts to ask out a couple of fourth years." She nodded.

"Ok. You start though." She said. I grabbed her hands, one on top of the other.

"We, Hermione Granger and Eleanor Phillips, do solemnly swear to enjoy this evening; as it is so rightfully ours to enjoy. We vow to make this fantasy a reality, making it last until the hours of morning rise."

"We vow." Hermione said.

"We vow." I finished. As soon as we said that, we both opened our eyes and fell onto my bed in a fit of laughs. This was going to be a night to remember.

By seven o'clock we were ready to go down. We sauntered down the front steps along with the other women of the school. Hermione went down to Viktor, hugging him as they greeted. I looked upon the faces of people who paired with their friends and lovers. My dress fell on the stairs as I walked; my hair softly brushed my shoulders as I descended. I turned my gaze towards my date. He was smartly dressed in a black tux with a yellow tie. His bronze hair was still roused and messy, but it suited him.

"My lady." He said taking my hand and kissing it. I curtsied to him and then wrapped my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist. I looked over his shoulder at Harry and Ron with their dates and they proceeded into the Great Hall.

"Ms. Phillips and Mr. Diggory, there you are!" Professor McGonagall said. "It's tradition that the champions have the first dance. We must get you into the Great Hall!" She said ushering us in. Cedric took my hand and we joined the crowd.

"Welcome everyone to the Yule Ball." Dumbledore announced. There was a light round of applause. "As tradition states, the first dance of the evening goes to the champions. If they could please step onto the dance floor." All of us separated from the crowd and they created a large circle around us. We stood in a row and bowed and curtsied to the headmasters. They in return curtsied and bowed to us. I briefly glanced down the rows and saw Hermione with Viktor and Fleur with a boy from Ravenclaw. I didn't know his name, but his blue tie gave him away. The boy looked absolutely enthralled by her.

"Champions, if you please." Dumbledore said then music started up, directed by Professor Flitwick. The orchestra music filled the winter wonderland ballroom. The culling was portraying falling snow, the chandeliers looked as if they had been dipped in ice, and there were snowflakes floating around everywhere, carved out of ice.

Cedric brought me back to reality when he took my hand in his. I placed mine on his shoulder, and he placed his on my waist. And then in fluid motion all of us began dancing together. Keeping in time to the music, Cedric knew how to dance. Even better than Harry, I'd say. He never had to look at our feet, and he took the reigns making sure that he led. He always had his eyes on me, and I couldn't stop looking at him.

"You're glowing." He commented. I began to feel my cheeks turn red. "Now you're blushing." I turned redder. "Am I embarrassing you?"

"No, not at all. I've just…never had someone complement me that way." I explained. He smiled.

"Well, only a blind person wouldn't be able to tell that you look absolutely radiant tonight." His flattery was very heartwarming.

"You really are too kind, Cedric." I commented.

"Well, I would hope so. No one likes a snobbish person." When he said that I immediately thought of Draco Malfoy. Oh, how that boy made my skin crawl with detest. I just smiled and we continued to talk as the music continued.

Soon, the classical music began to fade and Dumbledore announced that they had a special treat for us. A band called the Short Dwarfs came onto the stage and began playing. Everyone in the room seemed to go completely crazy for this band. I just enjoying being there with Cedric. I saw Hermione and Viktor having a wonderful time as he tried to get Hermione to dance to rock and roll music. And at times, I felt like someone was staring at me, watching my every move.

As the last few songs were played, the tempo of the music slowed down to a nice slow sway. I had my arms wrapped around Cedric's neck, when I looked around and saw Harry talking to Ron in a corner. This wasn't something odd, what was odd was that it looked like Ron was trying to get Harry to do something he didn't want to do. I looked up at Cedric.

"Do you mind if I catch some air? It's getting a little hot in here." I said.

"Sure, just don't run off on me." He said playfully. I let go of his neck and gently kissed him on the cheek.

"I won't." I assured him and turned back to the boys. I saw Harry take off towards the stairs, and Ron looked frustrated. I went up to him.

"Is Harry alright?" I asked. He turned to me.

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" he said, almost like he wanted me to ask Harry what was wrong. Before I could ask him anything more, he went off with Luna Lovegood. So, he had found a date. I took a moment and looked at her dress. It was very-pink. It looked like two boxes were stuck together and then holes were cut for the arms and legs. I turned my attention back to finding Harry.

I climbed the staircases and headed to the one place I knew I could find him. I gave the password to the Fat Lady and entered the Common Room. Just as I stepped through I saw someone swish past me. It was Cho Chang. Now I knew he was here. I saw him on the couch, looking into the fireplace. His red bow tie was untied, his elbows on his knees. He seemed to be staring off into the distance.

"Do you remember our first year? When we got sent to the Forbidden Forest?" He said not turning to look at me.

"Yes." I said sitting down beside him.

"He could have killed us, that night."

"But he didn't." I said.

"Four."

"Four what?" I asked.

"Four times; four instances where you could have died. The potions obstacle when we went after the Stone; when you were taken to the Chamber of Secrets; when the Dementors performed the Kiss on you; when you battled a dragon, and in a few weeks time you will face another life or death situation."

"What are you saying?" he sighed loudly.

"I'm saying, be careful. Death seems to follow you." I smirked.

"If I recall, you were there in every single one of those instances." He smiled lightly.

"Not this time. All I'll get to do is watch. I want you to know that I'm here for you. I want to help you in any way I can." I smiled at him and placed my hand on his, gently squeezing it.

"I bested a dragon, I think the worst is behind me." I said and then stood up to go. "By the way, why where you fighting with Ron?" I asked.

"Oh, it was nothing." He said. I nodded and went back to my date.

I quickly found Cedric standing by the dance floor engaged in a conversation with Viktor and Hermione. I slid my arm in his and he gently pulled me closer.

"That was a long break." He said casually.

"I found a few friends." I said.

"Lovely to chat with you." Cedric said and led us away from the couple. "Let's get away while the night is still young." He said and pulled me down some corridors.

Cedric and I ended up sitting by one of the windows in the halls. I was sitting on the sill, playing with Cedric's hands. They were so soft. I traced the contours of his hands, slowly dragging my finger across the lines in his hands.

"You know that the distinct lines represent your lover or lovers, and the lines off of those represent your children with them." I said slyly. He chuckled. I turned his hand over, tracing two long ones.

"What do those mean?" he asked, smiling.

"You have two lovers, finally blending to one. I don't see any small lines." I said.

"Maybe I won't have kids." He said laughing lightly. "Let's see your hands." He said taking mine. He turned mine over and looked at it, tracing the lines.

"You also have two lovers. But one is constant, and four small lines branch off from the longer one." I smiled.

"Four little children, how quaint." He softly leaned in to kiss me, the gentleness of his hands grabbed my waist. He pulled me down from the sill, setting me on the floor. My hands cupped around his face. But soon, his gentle and sweetness turned to aggressive passion. He took my waist and pushed me up against the brick wall. He took one hand and grabbed my hand and slammed it above my head, out of my control. My eyes darted open, looked at him; confused. His eyes looked like they were filled with rage, and something else looked and felt wrong. I suddenly realized that this had been a game. Why would a high class guy like Cedric go out with me? He wouldn't, at least not for real.

I tried to get my other hand free, but his hand shoved my hand behind my back and he pushed harder against me. He was powerful, stronger than I was. I could no longer move. I just waited, hoping that if I no longer moved he would let me go. But no. It only angered him that I was wasn't fighting back. So, he hit me in the gut. I winced and couldn't look at him. He raised his hand, as if to strike me again. But suddenly I heard running footsteps towards us. Their faces are forever etched in my mind.

The looked of horror and terror washed over them. Paul, Mark, Hermione, Angela, Ron, and Harry ran to my much needed aid. The men grabbed Cedric, pulling him off of me. Angela and Hermione immediately grabbed me and held me, turning me from the scene. The tears hadn't even come to my eyes. I heard punches from behind me.

"Mark!" Paul yelled. "We can't kill him. But I swear Diggory, if you ever lay a finger on my sister again, you're a dead man." Suddenly someone ran for him.

"No Harry!" Ron called, and I heard a scuffle. Angela and Hermione led me to the Common Room.

Everyone had fallen asleep, and it was way past eleven. Angela held me in her arms, Hermione held my hand and all the guys sat around. They waited for me to talk about what happened. But the tears still hadn't come.

"Eleanor?" Mark asked softly. He stroked my hair a little but I didn't respond. I just stared into the fireplace, watching the flames consume paper and wood; like how my heart had been consumed by Cedric and in the end, I had been burned alive.

Since I wasn't in a talking mood, the girls took me up to my dorm room. Paul had said that he was going to report what had happened to Dumbledore. That was the last thing I needed, more publicity. I subconsciously got dressed, brushed my hair, and went to bed; all without so much as a glance at Hermione.


	9. Chapter 9: The Most Unlikely Feeling

Chapter 9: The Most Unlikely Feeling

The next morning, Professor McGonagall visited me. I wasn't woken up until well after breakfast and first hour had started. She just informed me that Cedric Diggory would be taken in for questioning regarding the events that had happened. I nodded when necessary, but otherwise remained silent. I knew that if I spoke about what had happened, it meant that it was all real. I didn't think I was ready for that.

I was given the day off and Hermione was allowed to come bring me my homework from every class. Otherwise, I stayed in my dorm. I know, that sounds utterly boring but I needed time to myself. After all, you'd want to be by yourself too. And it was better than being out and about. I was already stared at enough but this event surely was gaining me more than enough attention.

Cards and notes were slipped under my dorm door. People knocked and said they were there to talk. After a while, I finally just stopped answering the knocks. I sat on my window sill, and thought of first year when I had found it. I was so small then, and now I had to scrunch in my legs up to my chest just to fit. But, it was do able.

Athena flew in through the window, giving me three letters. One from Mum and Dad, another from Brad, and the last from…it didn't give a return address. Strange…

I opened the one from Mum and Dad. It just said how sorry they were and that they couldn't come out until the last task. They regretted to say that Aunt Margaret had passed on and not to worry that they would come out as soon as possible. I sighed opening up Brad's letter.

_My little Ellie,_

_I know how you must be feeling right now. I've been through what you're going through. I know that these tasks are designed to test you physically and mentally, but it seems that the creators of the tasks never put themselves through them. I'm sorry I can't be there, you have no idea how much I miss you. You're my little sister, and I feel like a failure of a brother for not being there to cheer you on._

_As for the matter of Diggory, know that Dad is using all his contacts in the Ministry to get some kind of punishment enforced. Of course, he's launched a full scale investigation regarding him and is planning on using it in some sort of court matter. He'll make sure that Diggory pays for what he did to you._

_Know this, Ellie-look for strength of heart, whit of mind, and speed of body for these last task. I don't know what it will be, but I do know that it will be the most challenging one. Supposedly the first one is the easiest one, though I guess you'd beg to differ. I love you Ellie, and I miss you terribly._

_Love Always,_

_Brad_

I sealed the letter with my tears and opened the last one. The black calligraphy wasn't very neat and the letter itself was short.

_Dear Eleanor,_

_I know this must be coming to you as a shock, but I thought it best if I give you my support in what you're doing. I reckon this letter will get to you when you are closer to your second task and I wish you all the best of luck._

_I can't imagine what you must be going through, though I reckon its as worse as being Kissed by a Dementor. By now you are probably wondering why someone put your name into the Goblet of Fire, and I can tell you I have a few ideas. I'm sorry to say, I can't share them with you in the letter, for fear of having this intercepted._

_If you could see to it that you are in the Gryffindor Common Room on the 27th of December, midnight, I can explain to you what I can._

_Warmest Regards,_

_Padfoot_

I stared at the letter. Sirius Black wanted to talk to me? I wondered if Harry knew. By some chance I glanced at the bottom of the letter.

_P.S. Please, don't mention this to Harry._

Well, there went that theory. It was weird having Sirius write me a letter. Even weirder was having him tell me to meet him and to not tell Harry! I quickly stuffed the letters into my drawer and sat back on my window.

I thought about what Cedric had said; about the egg. I needed to test it out, see if it was correct. With the second task only a month away, it was my best bet. But, I would need someone to come with me.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Hermione asked.

"Where did fearless Hermione go?" I asked.

"I left her in the dorms, where we're supposed to be." She whisper yelled. I grabbed her hand and we ran down the hallway towards the witch statue. I looked up at her.

"Bubbly soap." I said. She nodded her head, and a door right in the back of her statue opened up. We looked left and right before entering. We walked down a long hallway before coming into a lighted room. The windows were mosaic glass creating pictures of mermaids, fish, octopi, and other creatures of the deep. There was a girls side and a boys side. We decided to follow the girls path. Inside it were changing rooms and in the very middle of the floor was a gigantic bath. It was golden, gleaming in the moonlight. I looked at all the knobs, wondering what they all did. I started turning some of them on.

"What are you doing!" Hermione exclaimed.

"He said to put it in the water. In order for that to happen, there needs to be water in the bath." I explained. I started taking off my clothes.

"Now what are you doing?" she asked.

"Why do you think I put on my swimmer? Just so I could take it off?" I asked sliding off my skirt and shirt. My red bikini needed retying. I stepped into the water, the bubbles floating around the room. I turned and grabbed the egg. "Here goes nothing." I said and opened it. The same crystal egg showed, the same horrid shriek filled the air. I quickly stuck it under the water to muffle it.

"Ok, he lied. Now let's go." Hermione insisted.

"Wait." I said, listening. I could hear faint music. I took a deep breath and ducked under the soap suds. I heard the most beautiful music and voices singing in harmony.

Come seek us where our voices sound

We can not sing above the ground

An hour long you'll have to look

To figure out what we took

The siren voices repeated the words and my air supply had run dry. I came up gasping for air and closed the egg before it could reach the surface. Hermione came over to me, handing me a towel.

"Did it work?" she asked as I got out, drying myself off.

"Yeah but let's get out of here. I don't want to get caught by Filch." I said. I quickly put on my clothes. As we left, I could have sworn the mermaid mosaic window had winked at me.

The four of us turned the corner to Study Hall when we heard a chorus of boo's and other mean names pass by. We knew who was behind us.

"Eleanor wait!" I heard Cedric call. We didn't stop, but we heard him continue to call me. Suddenly, a crowd of men blocked him from us as we waited at the Study Hall classroom.

"Stop there Diggory, or you'll have to answer to more than one person this time." Paul threatened. Mark, Fred, and George all backed him up. Hermione took my elbow, trying to lead me away.

"Please, Eleanor. I just need to speak with you." I moved past my friends and family to see him. He had black circles under his eyes, and a very sickly look on his face. "Please, just one minute." He promised. I turned to the boys.

"Wait for me inside. I'll be there shortly."

"We're not leaving you alone with him." Mark said, glaring at Cedric. I smiled faintly.

"Don't worry about me, just go. I don't want you to be late." They all nodded reluctantly, and my three best friends remained. "You too. Tell Professor McGonagall that I'll be in there shortly." They too left. The corridors were now empty except for the two of us.

"What do you want Diggory?" I asked in a bitter tone.

"I just-I don't understand what happened. Everyone's been saying that I-that something happened between us." He explained in a sad and agitated tone. "Even my own friends can't look at me the same way."

"What's there to understand? You're a monster inside." I spat.

"No I'm not!" He exclaimed. "I never meant to hurt you."

"So, you know what happened. There's no reason why we should even be discussing it."

"No, I don't remember what happened. I only know what people have been telling me." I scoffed. "It's the true, Eleanor."

"I don't believe you. What you did to me, no one could make someone do."

"But that's the thing, I wouldn't do it. I-I like you, Eleanor."

"No you don't. You were just using me. Though I don't know why, you've got a sheer win for this whole tournament."

"This isn't about the tournament! This is about finding out who did this to you!"

"I already know who did it, you!" I bellowed.

"I don't remember it! Any of it!" He shouted. This caught my attention. "I can't remember a single thing from after lunch to that night at midnight!" he cried. I stared at him.

"If you're lying to me Cedric-"

"I'm not." He interrupted. I sighed.

"What do you remember?" I asked.

"I remember getting up, eating breakfast, getting ready for the day, going to class, getting lunch, and then afterwards when we were all supposed to go and get ready-nothing." He said.

"What did the authorities say?"

"They said I was just a young teenage boy trying to take advantage of a young girl." He said disgusted. "But I'm not. That was never, ever, my intent when I asked you to the ball."

"Is it possible someone could have slipped you something during your lunch? Some sort of, mind controlling potion?" I asked.

"The Dumbledore said it was possible, but it would have had to have been an exceptional potions master."

"Snape is." I said. "He would certainly have the means."

"You think Snape did this?" he asked.

"No, not in the slightest. But my name wasn't put in there by accident, I was almost killed by a dragon, and somehow the guy I was going to the ball with almost tried to kill me. I think it's a safe bet that someone doesn't want me in this tournament." I explained. He looked bewildered.

"Why would someone got the trouble of trying to eliminate you?"

"I haven't the faintest idea. If I did, they'd be in Azkaban faster than you can say Quidditch." I said exasperated. "Now, tell no one of what we have spoke about. This stays between the two of us." I stressed then turned on my heels and went to class.

The toll bell chimed midnight that night. I woke up instantly, quietly creeping out of the dorm. I quietly made my way down the stone steps into the Common Room. No one was in sight, so I slowly went and sat on the couch. Sirius hadn't exactly specified how he would be arriving but I assumed some sort of illusion would take place.

"Eleanor!" I heard from somewhere. I looked around. "The fireplace." He said and I spied his face in the fire.

"Padfoot!" I exclaimed. If anyone were to over here, they'd at least not suspect it was Sirius. "How did you get here?" I asked.

"Suck into a Muggle home and used their fireplace. They're on vacation, so I'm not worried I'll be interrupted." He explained.

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" I asked. He looked a little nervous.

"I'm not sure how much I can divulge, but I thought it best if you weren't kept so much in the dark." I leaned a little closer. "I believe that there is someone at Hogwarts who has infiltrated the school in order to get to you."

"But why?"

"That I can't say, but listen to me: trust no one. Only your closest friends and family, but even then be carful of what you say. Who ever is doing this to you is no friend, Eleanor."

"I figured that much." I muttered, then suddenly the reality of the situation hit me. My eyes glistened with tears. "I'm scared, Padfoot. I don't think I can do this." I turned my face so he wouldn't see me cry.

"Eleanor, look at me." I turned to face his fiery eyes. "You can. You are a bright, young, strong girl. It takes a lot of courage to do what you're doing. Make no mistake, what you're doing many wizards would cringe at the very thought of. You can do this." He smiled at me when suddenly we heard footsteps.

"Someone's coming!" He whispered and suddenly disappeared. I quickly sat on the sofa, looking at the fire like nothing was different. I turned to see Harry coming towards me. We smiled at each other as he sat down beside me.

"Rough night?" he asked.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep." I said. He nodded.

"I know what that's like." He expressed.

"Is it your scar?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah. I feel like it burns every other night."

"But I thought it only burned when he was near?" I asked.

"That's what I thought too but…I don't know." He said, wringing his hands. I placed my hands on his. It stunned both of us.

"Sorry." I said breaking the silence. I pulled them away, when he took hold of my hand. His hands were rough from his broomstick calluses. He interlaced our fingers, and I just watched as our hands met together like puzzle pieces. I faintly smiled at him.

"I should probably get to bed." I said, slowly removing my hand from his. The mood suddenly changed when a piece of firewood cackled and startled me. He looked back at me.

"Right, I should be too." He said. "Good night."

"Good night." I replied and we parted ways.


	10. Chapter 10: Beneath the Water

Chapter 10: Beneath the Water

It was a week before the task, and I was anything but ready for it. I'd been stressing over classes, family, friends, and the tournament. Hermione had all four of us in the library for the past four weeks, looking for anything and everything relating to the riddle I was given.

"Say it again." Hermione asked. It was lunch time and she still wouldn't let us go to eat.

"Come seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground." I recited for the hundredth time.

"The Black Lake, that's obvious." She said, for the fiftieth time.

"An hour long you'll have to look, to figure out what we took."

"Again, obvious." She said.

"How is that obvious?" Ron asked.

"She will have one hour to search the Black Lake for something they're going to take from her." She answered. "The question is, what is it?"

"The lake is huge, it will take any normal person longer than an hour to search that thing." Ron said.

"And there's still the problem of you not being able to breathe underwater." Harry commented.

"Above the ground…" I said. They all looked at me. "They can't be above the ground or they'd die." I had lost them. "Mermaids! Mermaids live in the Black Lake!" I exclaimed.

"You think the mermaids will take something?" Ron asked.

"No, obviously the judges will take it, but the mermaids will hide it." Hermione said.

"And they reside at the heart of the lake." I added.

"That would make sense. But you still need to breathe underwater for an hour." Harry said.

"Well, I can't think off the top of my head for anything that can help me breathe underwater." I said.

"Do you think Snape might know of something?" Hermione asked.

"Even if he did, he wouldn't tell us." Ron said.

"Then we'll have to figure out another alternative." Suddenly the toll bell rang, and classes were going to start again. "Well, off to Charms. Perhaps Professor Flitwick won't have another fit when Seamus decides he's going to blow up another door." We all snickered at the thought.

That night I went to bed, thinking about what could be done. I debated whether or not sending a letter to Lauren, asking for an underwater breathing potion, but I knew that even with a week's notice she wouldn't be able to get it ready in time. Potions like that took months to brew, and the ingredients I was sure were hard to come by. I could always have asked Neville if there was a plant that could make me breathe underwater, but I'm sure he didn't have the time to go looking for one for me. The only option left was to look for a spell, hope that I could master it in a week, then hope that it actually worked.

Suddenly, there was a crack! sound in the dorm room. I looked around at my sleeping dorm mates. Lavender and Pavarti were both asleep and so was Hermione. Suddenly I heard quiet footsteps and I slowly sat up in bed. The moonlight shining in didn't illuminate much. I grabbed my wand off my desk.

"Lumos!" I whispered. The tip of my wand illuminated and I was staring right into a great big pair of blue eyes.

"Ah!" I screamed falling out of bed. I hit my head roughly, and I sat up rubbing it. I looked at the scrawny house elf on my bed. "Dobby?" I stuttered, recognizing him. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing here?"

"Oh! Beg your pardon, Eleanor Phillips. But, Dobby has come to help!" He declared quietly. I looked around and saw that all the girls were still sleeping.

"Help with what?" I asked getting up and sitting on my bed. "And how did you get here?"

"Oh, Dobby works here now Miss! Down in the kitchens, Dobby is a free elf!" He declared again. "Dobby is demanding pay now, but, no one wants a paying house elf. So, Dobby was walking for a long, long time when Dobby is met the Headmaster!" I stared at him.

"Our headmaster?" I inquired.

"Oh yes. He's a nice headmaster, and he offered to pay Dobby for work! He even offered Dobby some vacation and-and 'benefits', though Dobby's still not sure what those are."

"That's great Dobby, but tell me why you're here." I pressed.

"Oh yes! Dobby came to bring you this." He pulled out a bag from his pillow sack dress. It held, what looked like, slimy green worms. I cringed in disgust at the sight.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Gillyweed."

"What's that?"

"It will help you in your next task." He said. I took the bag.

"This-stuff, will help me breathe underwater?" I asked. Dobby nodded his big head. "Where'd you get it?" When I asked, he looked a little guilty. "Oh." Was all I said.

"Please don't be telling on Dobby. Dobby only wanted to help." He looked so sad, his big round eyes looked like they might cry.

"I won't tell on you. You have been a big help Dobby. Thank you." I looked around for something to give him in return. I went to my trunk and pulled out a single purple sock. I hadn't found the other one and I figured he wasn't picky. "For your troubles, Dobby." I said handing him the sock. He looked at it in awe, a look of appreciation on his face. It was like I had handed him the greatest treasure in the world.

"Thank you Eleanor Phillips." He said, and in a snap, he was gone. I stared at the slimy green goo that was in the bag.

"Yuck." I muttered putting it in my drawer. I drifted off to sleep, hoping that the next week would go by quickly.

In no time at all, the day of the second task came. I was scared, nervous, terrified, and I my best friends wasn't there yet. I looked around for Hermione, Ron, and Harry but they were no where to be found. I stood on the dock to the Black Lake freezing. Even in February, it was still cold. My red Gryffindor robe pocket held the Gillyweed. I only hoped it would work. I turned to see the other champions lining up.

Fleur was beside me in a silky blue robe, her blonde hair tied up high on her head. Krum was next to her, already in his shirt and swimmers. Professor Karkaroff was whispering to him, and he caught me looking at him. I quickly turned my head towards the Black Lake. It didn't get its name from nothing; the water itself absorbed all sunlight, remaining black as an abyss. I certainly felt like I was going to be jumping into an abyss. I already knew who was at the end of the line, and I didn't want to make any eye contact with him.

I turned around and saw the massive crowd of students from all the schools. This was very intimidating. My brothers and sister were at the front of the crowd, all smiling at me. I tried to smile back, but my nerves wouldn't let me.

"Silence!" Dumbledore commanded from behind me. Everyone quieted down. "We are about to begin the second task. Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions. They must search the Black Lake, and they have only one hour to do it in. First up we have Cedric Diggory. After a minute, Viktor Krum will go in, with Fleur Delacour third, and Eleanor Phillips last. On my count of three, Mr. Filch will sound the cannon." Everyone silenced for the moment when we would enter the water. "Three-" The blast was deafening and not on the right count. Dumbledore looked up Mr. Filch and rolled his eyes. Cedric dove in and didn't resurface. As I waited for my turn, I took off my robe my red bikini showing. I quickly stuffed the slimy green stuff into my mouth. Better to do it quick and fast than to have stared at it. Viktor was in the water by the time I had finished dry heaving. The stuff was absolutely horrible. I could hardly keep myself from crying it was so ghastly. Fleur was now in.

I suddenly felt pain in my neck and fingers, even my toes. I felt horrible, but I heard my name called and I dove in. Soon as I did, immediately I felt a sort of relief. As I sunk to the bottom, I felt my neck. They had these-ridges on them. My feet and fingers had become webbed! And they weren't ridges, they were gills! I was a fish! No, that's not right. I still had legs, but it looked like someone had sewn skin together on my toes and fingers. I looked at my watch from Paul. I was already five minutes in. There was no time to delay, and I began to swim to the center of the lake hoping I'd find what I was looking for.

As I swam towards the center, I came across a large field nestled on the bottom. The tall grassy kelp was very unnerving, and I figured I'd best stay away from them. Suddenly, I heard music. The most angelic music exactly like from the egg! I followed it, and in the distance I thought I saw a mermaid swimming away with its friends. I followed them to a clearing. Beside stone arches and a city made out of coral, I spied four figures. They were held down by ropes and rocks. I gasped as I recognized all four of them.

Hermione, Ginny, Fleur's little sister (I assumed since she looked like a mini Fleur) and Mr. Diggory. They were all petrified in a state of sleep. I quickly swam to Hermione. She was my best friend, she was my first priority. But as I pulled out my wand, I saw a shark coming my way! It pushed me out of the way and bit off the rope holding Hermione down. I realized it was Viktor as he swam to the surface. It looked like he'd attempted a transfiguration, but since only his head was transformed, it appeared it didn't go too well.

I turned to cut Ginny loose when I saw Cedric coming. He had a bubble over his nose and mouth, most likely giving him air. He cut away his father with a knife he had brought. I looked at him and then he tapped on his watch. I looked at my own. Only five minutes left in the task. I nodded to him and he took his father up to the surface.

I looked at the little girl. She couldn't have been older than nine. I searched around for a sign that Fleur was coming. She's coming, she's just probably late. I debated in my mind. But what if she wasn't coming? What if this little girl was left all alone down here? I couldn't take the risk, I picked up a sharp rock from the bottom and was able to cut through Ginny's rope. I made a slip-knot and put it around my wrist so she wouldn't float away. I started to work on the little girl's when I felt a bunch of webbed hands grab me. I turned to look at a merman with a big trident.

"Only one." He rasped at me through the water.

"But she's my friend too!" I cried in a gurgled muffled voice. He shook his head. I shook the hands free from me and I drew my wand. The merman started to laugh at me until I shouted "Lumos maxima!" and the entire underwater was lit up for a single moment. When the light was gone, so where the mermaids. I quickly cut at the rope holding the little girl and grabbed their arms and made my way to the surface. It wasn't long before I started to feel pain in my neck, fingers, and toes. The Gillyweed was wearing off and I wasn't even there yet. I looked at my watch. Time was up. I had lost.

Suddenly, something pulled at my foot. I looked down to see that I was directly over the bed of sea grass, and Grindylows were lurking in them. The mean little octopus things were a menace. Their sharp pointed teeth began sinking into my feet and calves. The Gillyweed had completely worn off and my lungs were gasping for air. I reached for my wand.

"Stupefy!" I cried. The lot of them froze and I did my best to whack and kick them off. They took off as soon as they unfroze. I looked up, the surface seeming so far away. I did my best to swim, but my burning lungs turned to fire inside of me. I began to sink into the kelp below. I felt a shadow pass over me, and a hand pulled on me. They pulled me to the surface, where fresh air entered my lungs.

Hands reached for me, crowds were silenced as my body was pulled onto the dock.

"Give her some room." I heard someone say. "I want all the judges over here!" They called again. I felt hands gently shake me and I opened my eyes. I sat up, shivering, as a towel was wrapped around me. I looked at him his eyes liquid grey, his bronze hair all wet. His lips were turning blue.

"Cedric?" I breathed. "You saved me?"

"Least I could do, save you instead of trying to kill you." He said, chuckling.

"Yeah. I guess that works." I said. He stood up and extended his hand, which I took gratefully. I turned and saw the other champions as well as the captive people. I embraced a wet Ginny and Hermione.

"Oh Eleanor!" Ginny cried. "When we didn't see you come up, we didn't know if you were ok!" I smiled as I hugged her. I spied Harry and Ron.

"Where were you two?" I asked.

"Sorry, we had a late start this morning. By the time we got here, you were already in the water." Ron explained. Harry came up and hugged me.

"Glad you're ok." He expressed sincerely. My hands were wrapped around his neck, and I had the feeling neither of us wanted to let go. But the crowd of students were closing in to hear the judges nominations. We let go and waited for our results.

"Attention!" Dumbledore called. "After much deliberation, we have come to an agreement." He announced. "We award first place to, Cedric Diggory! For his astonishing production of the Bubble Head charm!" The crowd cheered and Mr. Diggory raised his son's hand in the air, basking in the praise. "And, seeing as how Ms. Phillips would have been first had it not been for her willingness to help the others, we award her - second place!" The crowd cheered the loudest I'd ever heard them. Hermione squeezed me tight at the honor. "Third place goes to Viktor Krum, due to his incomplete transfiguration. And last is Ms. Delacour, for her valiant effort." I turned to Hermione.

"What happened to Fleur?" I asked.

"Grindylows. Dragged her down, almost drowned her." She explained. I nodded.

"Now," Dumbledore drew the attention back to him. "The next task will be held on the last week in April. Be for warned," he said gravely "This task will test you the most. Be prepared for anything." He then smiled at me and turned and left with the other judges. Hermione, Ginny, and I continued to walk and made our way to school.

March was brisk and it felt like school was almost over. I had loads of homework to catch up on and I missed quidditch practices. Hermione helped me get caught up in all my classes. I enjoyed her company without having to worry about the next task. But, the times I spent by myself that's all I could think about. The final task… I had made it this far. I didn't want to fail. Or die.


	11. Chapter 11: The Big Finale

Chapter 11: The Big Finale

The nighttime air was chilly on that fateful day, as we all stood in a row, facing Dumbledore.

"Behind us is a large maze. The champions final task is to find their way through the maze and retrieve the Triwizard Cup. If they should need help, need they only send up red sparks with their wand. Champions take their places. Miss Phillips will enter the maze first followed by Mr. Diggory, then Mr. Krum and Miss Delacour. At the sound of the cannon-" Suddenly the cannon went off and Dumbledore frowned at Filch.

"Champions start the walk." I faced the maze and turned around. I saw Moody look at me and pointed his finger to the left. I nodded and then walked forward. Soon the opening closed behind me. The final task had begun.

I walked forever, looking for some clue. Soon I heard a scream. I ran towards it and saw Fleur being pulled by roots under a hedge. She was tightly bound and instantly I knew I needed help.

"Riducto!" I yelled and red sparks flew from my wand into the sky. I couldn't wait though, so I kept on running. I got to a turn and stopped. I heard twigs snap and held against the hedges. Suddenly a wand was pointed at me. Viktor's eyes were green, a look of a person being hexed. But he dropped his arm to his side and grinned. He wend on his way. So did I.

As I rounded another corner I heard shouts. I ran to them.

"Stupefy!" Cedric yelled. A yellow bolt hit Viktor in the chest and he fell, unmoving. Cedric looked like he was going to kill him.

"Cedric stop!" I yelled, grabbing his arm.

"He tried to kill me!" he protested.

"He's bewitched." But there wasn't time to explain. A sudden gust of strong wind came our way. We looked down the maze and saw a thick fog coming our way. Cedric began to run and I followed.

I followed close on his tail when he stopped. We looked down the maze and could see a glowing, magnificent trophy. We both took off for it. He ran ahead of me, but a bunch of roots jumped from the ground and pulled him to the ground. I ran ahead as I heard him yell my name.

"Eleanor!" I turned around and saw that the roots had taken his wand. I deliberated in my mind. But I didn't have the time, I ran over to him.

"Incendio!" I yelled and the plants shriveled up and died. Cedric picked up his wand.

"Thanks. For a moment, I thought you were going to let it get me." He said.

"For a minute so did I." Suddenly another gust of wind came and we ran for it. As we neared it, inches away, he stopped.

"Take it!" he yelled over the wind. "You saved me, take it!"

"Together!" I yelled. "1, 2, 3!" We both grabbed the handles of the trophy. We were instantly teleported somewhere, far from Hogwarts.

I looked up, and got up as soon as we touched ground. We were in a graveyard. Many tombs lay around. Cedric stood up too.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"I have know idea." I said looking around.

"The cup was a portkey." He said.

"Where is the cup?" I asked in a panic.

"Tom Riddle." Cedric red off a tomb. I turned to him.

"What did you say?"

"This tomb says Tom Riddle." He said looking at me.

"Cedric, we need to get back to the cup." I urged. I looked around for it. Suddenly a door to a crypt opened loudly. Cedric ran to me, picking up his wand. We both drew our wands and pointed them straight ahead. A man with large teeth, and an almost rat like disposition came towards us holding a bundle. He snapped his fingers and a black cauldron, full of bubbling goo, was lit and started to boil.

"No!" I yelled. It wasn't possible.

"Kill the spare." I heard a voice say. The rat man, known to me as Peter Pettigrew, drew his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" He yelled and a green bolt shot forward to Cedric's chest. He felt against the ground, eyes open. Dead.

"Cedric!" I yelled too late. I turned back to them still not understanding. Tears streamed down my face.

"It's time…" that voice said again. Peter pointed his wand at the statue behind me. A grim reaper with a scythe. It opened its arms and grabbed me. I held up my hands, trapping my hands by my face. My wand was knocked out of my hand. Peter set down the bundle revealing the very small, almost baby like form of the Dark Lord. I still didn't understand. Peter pulled out a knife.

"The blood of the servant, willingly." He said and cut off his hand. It fell into the boiling pot. He screamed and cried then turned to me. "The blood of the father, unwillingly." He levitated a bone that sat on the tomb stone below me. He dropped it into the pot, and the goo consumed it. "The blood of the enemy, sacrificed." He said and pulled out a knife. He cut through my sweater. He dug into my exposed skin with the knife far enough to reach my bone. I screamed in agony, but the Reaper held me in place. Finally, he took out the knife dripping with my blood and he let several drops of it fall into the pot. "The Dark Lord shall rise again." He said and picked up the bundle, dropping it into the pot. The cut in my arm began to burn. As the pot bubbled more and more, my cut began to burn harder. Finally, a large green ooze fell over the pot, melting the cauldron down to nothing. Something inside it moved around, trying to break free. It finally exploded, and a hazy mist befell the graveyard. I couldn't see a thing. As it started to lift, there stood a hooded figure cloaked in black.

"Wormtail," The figure spoke. "My wand." Peter 'Wormtail' handed his wand over to him. He suddenly raised his facet to me. His eyes, nose, and mouth were all features of a snake. His sinister smile gleamed up at me.

"Eleanor Phillips. We meet at last." He looked over at Cedric's body. He walked over to him. "Such a pretty boy." He said, putting his foot on his face smearing dirt on him.

"Get your filthy feet off him!" I yelled.

"Oh, a friend of yours? How delightful. My, the world has changed. You're probably wondering why you're here, and not the fabled Harry Potter." He asked me smoothly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I muttered.

"Of course not. We'll talk about that later. First…" He turned from me and looked at Wormtail.

"Give me your arm, Wormtail." He said and Wormtail showed him his missing hand.

"Thank you my Lord." He said.

"The other arm Wormtail!" he hissed. I saw a tattoo on his arm which Voldemort put his wand on. He then shot his wand into the air and the same thing happened in the sky. A skull with a snake coming out of it's mouth; his mark. Suddenly black smoke clouds appeared from the sky and landed on the ground. They shaped into black hooded figures, forming a half circle around us.

"My friends. Thirteen years it's been and yet, here you stand." Each of the figures stood with masks on, hiding their identities from me. "But, not one of you looked for me. Not one of you tried to find me." He started going around the circle whisking away their masks and called their names. "Crab! Goyle! Draco! Macnair!" He said. He stopped at the last person. "Lucious." He said and whisked away his mask.

"If I had even heard whisper of your return-"

"Oh there have been more than whispers my slippery friend." He looked over to me, grinning evilly. "I suppose you are beginning to wonder why you're here. Well, everyone knows the story of The Boy Who Lived. And he may have been The Boy Who Lived, but I wasn't after him." He drew up close to me. "I was looking for you. You see, there was a prophesy that for told of a child with great destiny. At first I was led to the home of the Potters. But, because of an unreliable source I only found out after I had lost all my powers that you were the one I wanted." My face showed great fear and confusion. "Since I am going to be disposing of you, I believe it prudent to share with you the reasoning's for your demise." He turned to his followers. "It was through the same prophesy that Potter was mentioned, but the unheard part included Eleanor." He turned back to me. "You are the only thing standing in my way of becoming the most powerful wizard of all." He flicked his wand and the arms of the reaper released me. He threw my wand to the ground. I picked it up, staggering from the loss of blood. "I assume Dumbledore has taught you how to duel. First, we bow." I just stood there. "Oh Eleanor, Dumbledore would be ashamed, bow!" He flicked his wand and a sudden force pushed on my back, forcing me to bow. "Now, we duel. Crucio!" He cried sending me to the ground in a fit of pain. I tossed and turned, the agonizing pain of a thousand knives stabbing me at once. But the moment it stopped, I jumped back on my feet and shouted "Expelliarmus!" A red bolt shot towards Voldemort but he flicked it away like a buzzing mosquito. Suddenly, he fired a white bolt of light at my wand. I fired back with "Prior Incantato!" and in the middle I could see my streak pushing through his. Soon, little white lights flew out of his wand and morphed into people, like spirits. I saw an old man, and Cedric. I also saw a couple, who looked like Harry's parents. They were the people whom Voldemort had killed. More appeared, surrounding us. Voldemort didn't seem to notice.

"Eleanor, we'll be able to hold them off for a second but only one second. Do you understand?" Mr. Potter asked. I nodded.

"Tell him we love him, Eleanor." Mrs. Potter said.

"Eleanor," Cedric said. "Take my body back to my father. Know that I cared about you deeply, and this isn't your fault." I nodded again and turned my attention back to the duel. Mr. Potter nodded and in an instant I pulled back my wand, breaking our connection. I ran to Cedric and yelled, "Accio cup!" the portkey shot to my hand and we disappeared.

We landed at the start of the maze, the music blaring along with loud cheers. But, I was not happy in the least bit. I was bawling when I raised my head. Cedric was so cold, his eyes wide open. I closed them, leaning over his body, sobbing. I heard Dumbledore and someone else running to my side. The music had ceased and teachers were trying to block the students from getting to close to me. I suddenly felt Dumbledore's kind hands trying to gently pull me off. I heard myself yelling 'No!' when suddenly Mr. Diggory came over.

"That's my son! That's my boy!" He kneeled beside me and held Cedric in his arms. Dumbledore finally pulled me away.

"He's back," I said crying. "Voldemort's back. Cedric, he asked me to bring him back. I couldn't leave him, not-not there!" I cried.

"You're both back, Eleanor. You're safe." He turned back to some people when Moody came up to me.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." He said, taking me up the steps to Hogwarts.

He took me to his office where he handed me a tissue box and a wet cloth.

"Thank you." I said pulling my jacket off. The cloth soothed my wound.

"You know, we were all very impressed Miss Phillips."

"About what?" I asked through my tears.

"That you made it this far. You are the first girl to ever win."

"At the cost of my dear friend." Suddenly Moody got up and started searching for something. "The cup, it was a portkey. It too us to him, so he could live again." He began shaking a little, causing him to drop a jar.

"Were there others?" He asked.

"Sir?"

"In the graveyard, were there others?" He asked again.

"Um there…" I stopped and looked at him. "I don't think I mentioned a graveyard, sir." I slowly reached for my wand in my back pocket. He drew his.

"Girls always seem to figure things out quicker than boys. But I half expected Dumbledore to catch me. I guess he was too slow. And I'm just too good." I need to stall.

"Why?" I demanded. Before he could answer, the door burst open and Snape, Dumbledore, and McGonagall stood there wands at the ready.

"You alright Eleanor?" Dumbledore asked as McGonagall took me out of the way.

"Yes sir." Snape picked up a bottle off the nightstand.

"Polyjuice." He said.

"Now we know who's been stealing from your stash Severus." Dumbledore said. Suddenly, we watched as the last of the potion emptied from Moody's system. We saw him melt back into his true self.

"Barty Crouch Junior." Dumbledore said. I stepped forward, Snap and Dumbledore pressing their wands to his neck.

"You," I muttered "It was you who started all of this!" I lifted his coat sleeve and saw the tattoo. I dropped his hand instinctively like it was hot. I ran out the back doors, never looking back.

I ran down the stairs, reaching the main corridor. All of the students had been sent to their dorms and the teachers were taking care of Crouch. I slowed down my pace to a walk looking out the stain glass windows up at the night sky. The moon was full, glowing bright white. I began to cry again. This year was supposed to have been great. It was supposed to have been the year of good change: of first dances, first crushes, first kisses. But instead if was full of misery, dread, regret. I couldn't understand why; why he had to die, why I had been so special.

I turned to the sound of footsteps. My support group stood there with their sad looks. My siblings and my three best friends. My siblings all hugged me at once. I couldn't remember a time when we had all been so full of emotion. Hermione and Ron hugged me both at once, leaving Harry for last. All he did was hug me and I immediately broke down in his arms. I sobbed all of my hurt, until finally my tears ran dry. I wiped the remaining tears and we sat on the floor beneath the windows. My family gave us a moment and I put my head on his shoulder. I listened to his slow breathing, his chest rising and falling. We said nothing, because nothing needed to be said. At least, not then.

I sat on the edge of my bed, feeling the softness of the sheets. The bright red and gold of the dorm room splattered about, neatly of course, gave it the flavor of the school. How had the end come so quickly? How had my life turned upside down so suddenly? Where was the justice in the evens that occurred only the week before? Where was the guilty one? I knew where he was, yet I could do nothing. But I couldn't help thinking how had I gotten to this point in time? Much had been lost, much had been gained.

I finally got up and looked at my trunk, locking away my memories. I turned to Athena, gazing at her black feathers. She hooted softly as I stroked her head. I thought of the year, realizing it had passed quickly, and yet…not quick enough. I heard a soft knock at the door, and turned to see Professor McGonagall come in.

"The Headmaster would like to see you dear." She said kindly. I nodded and she led the way.

The griffin showed us the stairs and we ascended up to greet Dumbledore. He stood by his desk, looking at a book. When he saw us he nodded to Professor McGonagall and she left us alone.

"Please, sit Eleanor." He said, gesturing to the chair in front of him. I sat down and he smiled sadly at me. "I do believe you've sat in this chair at least once every year since you've arrived here, Eleanor." I nodded.

"What did you need to see me about sir?"

"Two things. The first, that what you found out in the graveyard must be kept between the two of us."

"But sir, it's about his parents! Shouldn't he know?"

"Harry is not ready to find out the truth just yet. I will not further discuss it with you. The second, at the feast this morning, I would like you to do something for me, something that might be hard: I would like you to talk to the students about Mr. Diggory's death." Before I could protest he continued. "Not the details, but of his bravery and courage."

"Why, sir?" I asked, new tears returning to my eyes.

"Because I believe that dark times lie ahead of us, and who better to speak to students than one of them."

"But, you're an adult. You can give them more comfort than I can. I'm just a girl."

"You're not just a girl, you're the girl. Everyone knows the great sacrifice that came with going into this competition. And now, they will see you as a beacon of hope. You will prove to them that it's alright to be afraid, but within that fear to find that sliver of hope." I nodded. "Now, let's go down to the feast. I do believe that the house elf's have prepared a delicious breakfast."

All three schools crammed together, no one really caring about protocol. Everyone talked and ate together, and finally it came time for Dumbledore's speech. The tables disappeared and the benches took the forms of long rows. We all faced the front and he began to speak.

"We came together at the beginning of this year, with new hearts and spirits. We end this year, with tragedy and heartache." I looked up and saw that the banners were the Hufflepuff colors. My tearducks were getting their share of use this year. "We have suffered, a really terrible loss. The Ministry of Magic has asked me not to speak to you about this, but I think it would be an insult to Cedric Diggory's memory. You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered; by Lord Voldemort." Many of the students lightly gasped, some burst with tears. Many of the Hufflepuff's were in tears long before this started. Dumbledore nodded to me and continued as I walked to the front.

"One of our own students witnessed the event, and I would hope that you would all stand by her and listen to what she has to say." Dumbledore said as I walked up to the podium. I looked out at the audience of students, but I didn't feel anything. I felt numb.

"What Headmaster Dumbledore has said is true." I started. "I was there, and I saw what happened. And the only thing I can think about is: why? Why did I let him grab the cup with me? Why didn't I try to save him? Why, why, why?" I asked. I looked at my three best friends. "But asking why isn't going to bring him back. Thinking about the past, isn't going to change it. All we can do, is look to the future, with Cedric Diggory in our hearts and minds, and know that he died for a cause. He died because of his bravery and courage to stand up to the evils of this world. We must unite, as we have been asked to do. This year we have made new friends from far away places. We must remember them, and we must remember him." I pointed to the banner above the teachers table that said 'Cedric Diggory'. Many of the students nodded or shed more tears. "His death must not be in vain." I said, the tears spilling over the podium. "He will forever be remembered in our hearts, but I hope that he will be the beginning of our fight for good. That we will follow his exampled and continue in the quest for good. This is not the end, my friends, this is only the beginning." After I said that, I felt like I had made a prophesy of sorts. I could feel the power of my words hitting every single student in that room. Even the Slytherins I could see were stunned. We all stood to watch the schools depart.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed my gaze as we watched the Durmstrang boys hop onto their ships. They sank back into the waters, leaving the way they came. The Beauxbatons girls all climbed into their carriage and took off into the sky. I smiled a the beauty of the world Hogwarts had brought about. As the students left to go to the station we four were left standing.

"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, it is." I responded.

"Promise you'll write this summer, both of you." She said to the boys.

"Why doesn't Eleanor have to promise?" Ron complained.

"Because she always writes to me." Hermione explained.

"Come on Hermione, we'd best head for the train. It won't wait forever." Ron and Hermione took off, leaving Harry and I alone. Again. We both sat on the stone bridge, admiring the high sun over the Black Lake.

"Eleanor, I-"

"Harry-" We both blushed.

"You first." He said.

"I've been meaning to tell you something, and I want you to understand that I'm telling you this because you are my friend." He nodded. "When I was in the graveyard, the Dark Lord told me some things. He said that he was never intentionally after you; he was after me. He said something about a prophesy and my destiny." He looked at me confused.

"But, I was the one to get the stone. I rescued you from the Chamber of Secrets." He didn't understand.

"Harry, you're not listening to me. Even though you did all those things, in the end he was after me. And he would have had me if it hadn't been for Cedric and your parents."

"What do my parents have to do with this?" He asked.

"When I dueled with him, I used Prior Incantato. It makes spells from the previous wand be know. He'd used the Killing Curse a lot and these spirit forms appeared. One of them was your parents."

"I-I don't understand."

"I know, you're not meant to. But, I wanted you to know they talked to me for a brief moment. They said they loved you, very much." He suddenly jumped down on to the ground, almost enraged. "What's the matter?"

"Everything!" He exclaimed.

"I thought you'd be happy you knew this." I said.

"Happy? How can I possibly be happy knowing that my parents died for no good reason?" He bellowed. "Would you be happy?"

"I don't know." I muttered.

"No, you don't know. You don't know how this feels, to have your life ripped apart all for it to be a mistake!" I stood up and faced him, but afraid I might say something I might regret I took my things and left him there.


	12. Author's Note

So what did you think? Did you like it? If so, please leave me a review! I've got all of part 2 done and am just about finished with part 3. I'll be uploading part 2 tomorrow!

~Lissa 3


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